


Dragons and Keys

by neverendingtail (colormetherainbow)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, F/M, M/M, More angst, Slow Burn, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-06-07 21:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 23,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15228309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colormetherainbow/pseuds/neverendingtail
Summary: After a close call on a train after a job, Natsu and Lucy decide to help the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, Sting and Rogue, out on a job as a favor for helping them. But when that small job ends up with Lucy's life hanging in the balance, can the dragons save her?(first started posting on my FFN acct)





	1. undeniable feelings

"Ugh, I'm never riding a train again!" Natsu Dragneel complained. He was laying on the concrete sidewalk in front of Lucy Heartfilia's apartment.

"Aye. I would have thought your motion sickness would have worn off by now, though," his cat, Happy, told him.

"Yeah, me too."

Happy sat down by his head. "Let's go to Lucy's. You could use some water," Happy told him.

"Alright. Should we go through the window or use the door?" Natsu asked him.

"Let's use her window."

"Okay, little buddy. Let's go!"

"Aye, sir!"

Happy grabbed Natsu and flew him up to Lucy's window. He looked around inside her apartment before letting himself inside. "She's not here."

"She could be at the guild," Happy told him.

"I'll stay here and wait on her. It's almost dark. She'll be home soon, right?" Natsu said nonchalantly. "What's the harm in that?"

Happy immediately pictured Lucy coming home to Natsu camped out on her couch like he always was. "Scary Lucy."

Natsu sat down on her couch and waited. He then moved over to her bed and began to look out her window for her.

"She's a little late, don't you think, Happy? Happy?" Natsu asked, turning his attention away from the window.

"Aye, sir," the blue cat said, snoring lightly. Natsu turned back to the window in time to see Lucy walking along the edge of the river, talking to her Celestial Spirit, Plue.

"I haven't seen Natsu today. I wonder how his job went. I hope he didn't tear anything up or set anything on fire," she was saying. "Man I can't wait to get home."

Natsu smiled. He couldn't wait to tell her all about his job of capturing escaped convicts in Hargeon Town. He did burn a few buildings though. He'd just keep that to himself. He felt his face turn red.

"What the crap? Why am I blushing at the thought of Lucy?" he mumbled. He looked back at a snoozing Happy and was relieved to see that he hadn't heard him.

"How did you get in here?" Lucy asked him, scaring him.

"Happy. We just flew up and I just let myself in," Natsu replied.

Lucy looked over and saw Happy sleeping away. "Well, can you guys leave? I'm about to get ready for bed."

"Yeah sure. Come on Happy." Natsu picked him up.

"Aye, sir."

Lucy watched as Natsu left through the door. She sighed before sitting down to write on her story.

"Wait, what am I thinking? I don't like Natsu!" she blurted out suddenly. She groaned before putting pen to paper. "Why am I lying to myself? I like him. I like him a lot."

Natsu sneezed as he walked along the dirt path leading to his little house. He was musing over his newfound feelings for Lucy.

"She _is_ really pretty. And I'm _positive_ that I'm not lying to myself here." He set Happy down in the living room and headed back outside. "She's one of my closest friends. But friends can have feelings for one another, right?"

He laid back in the grass and looked up at the stars, which reminded him of Lucy. She was a Celestial Spirit wizard and had many powerful spirits contracted to her.

"This is all staying between me, myself, and I. No one needs to know about my feelings for Lucy," Natsu said. "Maybe she feels the same way about me. Who knows?"

"Natsu? What are you doing out here?" Happy asked him from the doorway.

"Just doing a bit of thinking."

"Don't do that! You'll hurt yourself!" Happy told him worriedly.

Natsu plucked blades of grass and held them in his hands. "Yeah. Maybe."

"You know that we never got to tell Lucy how our job went?" Happy told him. "I'm sure she'd want to know!"

"Nah. We'll tell her tomorrow. We'll see her at the guild, right? Let's just get rested up for when we tell her!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy flew off and Natsu exhaled deeply.

"That was close."

He stood up and began walking back toward the door. He thought about telling Lucy his feelings the next day but he felt his face burn at the thought of it.

"I _need_ to stop being embarrassed! We're a team! Our feelings will just get in the way of our jobs. Whatever happens, happens! That's that," Natsu decided before falling asleep.


	2. a job in iris

"Hey, Mira, have you seen Lucy today?" Natsu said the next day.

"No," Mirajane said. "She hasn't come in yet. Have you gone by her apartment?"

"Nope. I'll head there now," Natsu said. "Thanks, Mira!"

He ran out the door with Happy close behind. "Natsu, what are we looking for Lucy for?" he asked.

"We have a job."

A few minutes after Natsu left, Lucy dragged herself into the guild. "I have to pay my rent!"

"Natsu was here looking for you. In fact, he left just a few minutes before you came in. I figured he was going to your place to look for you."

"Great, thanks." Lucy jumped up and ran out of the guild. She ran toward her apartment building and came across Natsu and Happy opening the door.

"Wait a minute! Don't think about entering without my permission!" she told them.

Natsu gulped as he tried to ignore the sudden butterflies he got in his stomach. "We got a job."

"Let me see."

Happy handed her the job request. "It's in Iris Town."

"Protecting an heiress?" Lucy sighed. "Yuck."

"Sorry, Lucy!" Natsu apologized quickly. He knew his friend used to be a member of the Heartfilia family, one of the wealthiest families in Fiore, but her mother passed away when she was younger and her father had passed away the month before they came back from Tenrou Island.

"It's okay. We already said we were coming, right?" Natsu asked her.

Lucy smiled. "Right!"

"Natsu, it's two trains from here to Iris. Are you going to be okay?" Happy asked him.

"I'll manage," he groaned.

"You'll be fine. Come on, we have to meet them later on, right?" Lucy pointed out.

"Yeah. I'll muddle through it somehow."

"Natsu, it's Gray!" Happy said suddenly.

"What?"

Natsu looked down to where Happy was pointing and saw Gray Fullbuster waiting just a little ways up their train.

"Hey, Gray!" Lucy called out.

He turned around and looked at them. "Hey, Lucy, Natsu, Happy. You guys going on a job too?"

"Yeah, this one," Lucy told him, showing him the job request.

"And you two thought you could handle this job alone?" Gray said. "I'm coming along, too."

"Lucy and I can handle this one!" Natsu objected.

"No way. Besides, we need to let them know we take them seriously on this."

After they had sat down in their seats and the train began to move, Lucy stared out the window. She saw green fields pass by and was thinking over her sudden declaration of feelings for Natsu.

 _Are we just good friends?_ she thought to herself. _There have been times when I thought he liked me, but there's no_ way _he does. The girls_ always _have crushes on the guys. And he isn't a bad guy. He's really sweet._ Lucy looked over at a motion-sick Natsu, who was trying to talk to Happy on the seat in between her and Gray. _But on second thought, this guy is different from most._

"Ugh, please kill me!" Natsu begged Lucy after the train came to their first stop.

"Okay," Gray said, grinning evilly.

" _No_ , because I don't want to do this job alone!" Lucy told them, pushing them apart. "Our client is expecting the both of us, now come _on_! Gray is just an added bonus."

"That's harsh, Lucy."

Lucy dragged Natsu over to their second train, and sat him down in a seat towards the middle of the train. She sat down across from him and stared out the window. Gray sat down beside her.

"Man, Lucy, you're being mean to Natsu," Gray pointed out.

"I am not!"

"It's 'cause they're in _love_!" Happy giggled.

"Shut up, cat!" Lucy said.

Natsu stared at her. _Maybe Lucy_ does _feel the same way about me._

About halfway through the train ride, Lucy looked over at Natsu, who was finally asleep. Happy was asleep against the seat between Lucy and Gray, who was still awake. Gray looked over at Lucy.

"I won't tell."

"What?!" Lucy asked him.

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

Lucy looked at her hands. Her Celestial Spirit Gate keys were in her pouch at her side, and if Virgo knew how she felt she would never hear the end of it. Of course, Loke was a problem as well...

"Yeah. It is kind of obvious. But what about - " Lucy nodded toward Natsu " - _him_?"

"Like I said, it _is_ obvious." Gray stretched out. "Wake me up when the train gets to Iris, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Lucy smiled. _Who knew?_

 


	3. let's go to crocus!

“Damn, who knew it would take this long to get to Iris Town?” Gray said, stretching.

“Aye. We're supposed to meet the clients around nine, I think,” Happy said.

“Yeah, well, we need to figure out how we're going to go about doing this,” Lucy said. “We don't know much about the client.”

“We'll figure that out when we meet them! Come on, Happy!” Natsu said.

“Aye, sir!”

Natsu ran off, leaving Gray and Lucy to try and catch up to him.

“He's _still_ got energy to run after riding two trains?” Lucy called out to Gray.

“That's just Natsu. But he's got a point. The quicker we meet these guys, the quicker we may be able to get the job done and go back home,” he replied back.

Lucy nodded. She looked ahead and noticed that Natsu and Happy had stopped at a large home. “Natsu? Happy?”

“This is our client.”

“Okay. Let's go ahead and let them know we're here,” Lucy said, knocking on the door.

“Are you the guild wizards here to protect the heiress?” someone asked them from inside.

“Yes. We're from Fairy Tail!” Lucy said.

“Can we come in?” Natsu asked.

“Yes, yes. I'm sorry.” The door opened wider and they were let inside. A tall, graying man greeted them with a bow. “I'll be right back, let me go and talk to my master, your actual client.”

As they walked in, they took in their surroundings: many staircases led to the upper floor, where there were at least ten doors leading into different rooms. Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy stood in the open room and watched as the man who let them in scurried off.

“Sheesh, what's the matter with him?” Gray asked.

“I don't know,” Natsu frowned.

“Will the young lady please come with me?” the man said, returning. “My master would like to talk to her.”

“Who? Me?” Lucy asked, confused. The man nodded.

“Go on, Lucy,” Natsu said. “It can't be all that bad.”

“Okay.” Lucy followed the man, then stopped. “Wait. Anything he needs to say to me, he can say to Gray and Natsu, too.”

The man bowed deeply. “Yes, ma'am. Will you all please follow me.” He turned around and walked down the long corridor, leaving Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Happy to follow him.

Lucy sighed, and looked over at Natsu. “Were you seriously trying to get me kidnapped just now?” she asked him angrily.

“No. Just calm down, Lucy.”

The tall man stopped outside a pair of tall oak doors. “My Master is inside. He has agreed to see you all.”

“Thank you.” Lucy led them in.

As they entered, they noticed a change in the atmosphere. They felt a lot of tension in the air. Natsu tensed up and put himself between Lucy and the man behind the desk.

“We’re from the wizard guild, Fairy Tail. We came here about the job to protect an heiress,” Gray said, stepping forward.

“Yes. My name is Henry Davids. I need you three to protect my daughter, Jasmine, while she is on her way to Crocus. She is heading there to have a meeting with Princess Hisui.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Natsu said.

“Yes. Seeing how we aren’t that far from the capital, it wouldn’t be that far of a trip. However, my daughter is my only child and the inheritor of my entire business. It is important she gets to Crocus safely,” he told them. “The reward will be delivered on your way back here if you succeed.”

“Of course we’ll succeed. We’re Fairy Tail!” Natsu said.

“Very well then. My butler will see you off. I have to see to an important business matter.” Henry waved them on out.

As they waited out in the hall, Lucy frowned. “He can’t even see his own _daughter_ off before she leaves?”

“I know. Something’s not right about that,” Gray said.

“We have no say in it. Let’s go wait outside. Like he said, it’s not a long trip from here to Crocus so it shouldn’t be a hard job,” Natsu said.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Lucy said.

As they headed back toward the head of the long corridor, they were greeted by the butler. “Miss Jasmine is ready in the front hall.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lucy told him, bowing.

A look of recognition dawned on his face. “You aren’t Jude Heartfilia’s daughter, Lucy, are you?”

Lucy cringed. “Yes sir, I am.”

“I heard about his passing. I’m very sorry for your loss. I used to work with him at the merchant guild in Acalypha some time ago. You look just like your mother, Layla.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you three the ones who will escort me to Crocus?” a voice cut in. Lucy looked up to see a young girl coming down the stairs with a suitcase. “My name is Jasmine.”

Natsu waved at her. “Hi. I’m Natsu. This here is Lucy -” he motioned to Lucy, “- and this is Gray.” He pointed his thumb at Gray, who waved. “We’re from Fairy Tail.”

“And I’m Happy!” Happy said. “You forgot me!”

“Sorry about that!”

“Hello to all of you,” Jasmine said with a smile. “James, is the carriage ready?”

“Yes, ma’am,” James said with a bow.

“We will leave at once. Princess Hisui cannot be kept waiting.” Jasmine grabbed her bag.

“Let’s go!” Natsu said.

“Aye, sir!” Happy replied.


	4. crocus

“How can you be a wizard if you always get motion sickness?” Jasmine asked Natsu.

“All dragon slayers get motion sickness,” Lucy explained. “There’s three other dragon slayers in Fairy Tail that get it too. Not to mention the two in the Sabertooth guild and one that was in the dark guild Oracion Seis.”

“You mean there are _seven_ dragon slayers?” Jasmine asked them.

“Yeah. But it gets complicated. Natsu is a first generation dragon slayer, along with two of our guild mates. He was taught by a _real dragon_ ,” Happy explained. “Our fourth dragon slayer and a guy we fought, who was a former member of the dark guild, the Oracion Seis, are second generation dragon slayers, meaning they had dragon slayer lacrima implanted. And the two dragon slayers from Sabertooth are third generation dragon slayers, they were both taught by dragons _and_ were implanted with dragon slayer lacrima!” Happy exclaimed. Their carriage rolled to a stop.

“We’re stopping for a break,” their driver said. “We should be in Crocus by tonight.”

“But I still beat them both in the Grand Magic Games,” Natsu said. “I need a break.”

“Come on, Natsu, I’ll fly you around for a bit,” Happy told him. “You could use some fresh air.”

“You’re right. Come on,” Natsu told him. He crawled out of the carriage shakily. Happy grabbed him and took off.

“You’re Lucy Heartfilia, right?” Jasmine asked Lucy.

“Yeah, I am,” she replied.

“My father knew yours. It was sad when we had heard he had passed away. We are both incredibly sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” Lucy said. Gray looked out the window of the carriage at Natsu and Happy.

“I want to thank you all for accompanying me to Crocus. I know the ride is a bit dull, but my meeting is very important and I had to alert Princess Hisui right away.”

“You had to alert Princess Hisui? Is what you’re going to Crocus for really that important?” Gray asked.

“I’m all refreshed and ready to go!” Natsu said, walking up to the carriage then.

“You’ll just need another break soon because you’ll get sick,” Happy pointed out.

“Oh yeah you’re right.”

As the carriage began to start, Natsu hung his head out of the window. “So sick.”

“We’ll be there soon,” Lucy told him.

“To answer your question, Gray, yes it is,” Jasmine said. “It’s very important.”

Gray looked at her then at Natsu, who was almost out of the window. “Okay. We’ll get you there safely.”

“You won’t ask what’s so important?”

“No. That’s between you and her.”

Natsu turned his head. He knew that something was troubling the young woman. But his motion sickness left him too weak to speak. He knew Lucy would pick up on it. She _always_ did.

“Is it about Zeref?” Lucy’s voice asked. Natsu’s heart pounded.

“Yes.” Jasmine reached toward her bag. “You have heard of Tartaros, yes? The remaining third of the Baram Alliance?”

“Yeah. We took out the other two members of the Baram Alliance, the Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart. Is this dark guild is as powerful as Tartaros?” Gray said.

“Not quite. But they are pretty powerful.”

“Sounds scary!” Lucy said. “What’s the guild’s name?”

“Black Phoenix. There isn’t much known about them. But they’re very dangerous. Only Tartaros is more powerful and more dangerous than them.”

“Oh wow,” Happy said.

The carriage came to a stop. “We have reached Crocus,” their driver told them.

“Thank you,” Jasmine told him, climbing out. “We’ll be okay from here.”

Their driver swept his hat off of his head in a bow. Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy climbed out of the carriage and onto the streets of Crocus.

“Nice solid ground at last!” Natsu said.

“Man, I’ve missed this place,” Gray said.

“First things first, let’s go see Princess Hisui,” Jasmine said. “That was the mission, to make sure I got to Crocus and had my meeting with Hisui. Then you get your reward.”

“It’s okay. I was notified by the Royal Guard of your arrival not long ago,” a voice behind them said. They all turned around.

“Hisui!” Jasmine cried, running to give her a hug.

“Jasmine, it’s been too long! How are you?” she asked.

“I’ve been great.”

“I see you were accompanied by wizards from the Fairy Tail guild. They are a fantastic guild.”

“You’re right about that!”

“So what brings you to Crocus? I know it’s not the beautiful flowers!” Hisui said with a smile.

“I actually came to have a meeting with you,” Jasmine said. “It’s very important.”

“In that case, let’s return to Mercurius at once.” Hisui turned around and began walking back toward the palace. “Lucy, Natsu, Gray. You all are welcome to come back with us.”

“Thank you,” Lucy said.

“We’re here to take them,” a familiar voice said from behind them.

Natsu’s eyes widened and he whipped around. “I’d know that voice anywhere.”

“So what brings Fairy Tail to Crocus?” Sting Eucliffe asked them. His friend, Rogue Cheney, was walking up behind him flanked by their two Exceeds, Lector and Frosch.

“We had to make sure Jasmine here got to Crocus safely, so she could talk to Princess Hisui,” Lucy said. “We want to make sure they get to Mercurius safely.”

“The Royal Guard will take over from here,” Hisui said. “Fairy Tail, I declare your job a success.”

“Yes!” Natsu said. “And I didn’t destroy anything!”

“Please don’t jinx yourself,” Lucy said weakly.

“So what are you guys doing here?” Gray asked the Sabertooth wizards.

“We were on our way to Magnolia. Mr. Yajima asked for a bunch of wizards to help him out at his restaurant there, so a few of us from Sabertooth offered to help. Yukino already headed that way, but we heard that a group of Fairy Tail wizards would be in Crocus so we decided to grab them and bring them back with us,” Sting explained.

“Why didn’t Mr. Yajima ask Fairy Tail for help?” Lucy asked.

“He expanded his restaurant so he needed more wizards than usual,” Rogue shrugged. “At least that’s what he told us.”

“Let’s go with them, and we can stop through Iris and get our reward!” Natsu said.

“Yeah. Then we can pay my rent,” Lucy said with a sigh of relief.

“Let’s take the train, it’ll be faster than the carriage we took,” Gray said.

“Ugh. Just the thought of a train is making me sick!” Natsu, Sting and Rogue all said together.


	5. three dragons on a train

“You know, I thought Natsu was bothersome when we went anywhere by transportation,” Gray said.

Natsu glared at him. He was sitting with Sting and Rogue, who were busy glaring at Gray.

“Gray, give them a break,” Lucy said. She had Frosch in her lap, and Happy was sitting beside her. Lector was across from him beside Gray. “It’s not their fault.”

“Yeah, we'd give anything to not have motion sickness,” Sting said.

“You guys will make it,” Lucy said. “We’ll be in Iris soon.”

“My stomach sure hopes so,” Natsu said. “It wants to leave my body.”

“At least you aren't alone in being sick,” Happy said, snickering.

“Shut up, cat!” Sting and Rogue said together.

“Don't tell my cat to shut up!” Natsu said angrily.

“Will you three shut up?” Lucy said.

“We're sorry,” they said in unison.

“Anyways, look here. The train is coming to a stop. We must've reached Iris,” Gray said.

“Finally!” Natsu yelled. He clamored over Sting and into the aisle.

“Watch where you're stepping!” Sting told him angrily.

Everyone else stood up and headed down the aisle of the train. Suddenly Natsu stopped, causing Sting to bump into him. “What’s the big idea?”

“You mean you don’t smell it?” Natsu asked him.

“I don’t know how he couldn’t,” Rogue said.  

“If there's one thing that I've learned, it's to never underestimate a dragon slayer’s senses,” Gray said.

“Wait, this isn't the best place for them to fight,” Lucy said.

“What are you saying, Lucy, this is perfect!” Natsu said.

“But what if the train starts moving again?” Lucy asked.

“It won’t,” someone answered.

“What? What do you mean?” Lucy asked.

“I am from the dark guild Black Phoenix. I’ve come for Lucy Heartfilia.”

“What?” she asked.

“If you want Lucy, you’re going to have to go through us!” Natsu said.

“Come on Lucy, quick! Lector, Frosch, and I will get you somewhere safe!” Happy said. He pointed toward the open window, where Lector and Frosch were already waiting with their wings open.

“O-okay. Natsu, Gray, be careful! And don’t wreck the train!” She called out to them. “Sting, Rogue, you guys too.”

“Sorry, Lucy, no promises. After all, we are from Fairy Tail,” Natsu said.

“Come _on_ ,” Happy said. Lucy pushed herself out of the window and Lector and Frosch grabbed her. Happy soared up and grabbed ahold of her. “Be careful, Natsu.”

“I will be. Can’t make no promises for the train, though!”

The three Exceeds directed Lucy toward tree-covered hills, with Frosch leading them. “I’m worried about Rogue,” he said.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Rogue, Sting, Natsu, and Gray can all handle their own against that guy,” Lector told him.

“Make sure you guys stay near me in case we have to make a quick getaway,” Lucy said. She pulled her backpack closer to her. “They’re all fighting to make sure I’m safe.”

“Lucy, you being safe is all that matters,” Happy said.

“Yeah, of course it does! Sting and Rogue would never forgive themselves if you were injured,” Lector said.

Lucy smiled at them. “Thanks you guys.”

Suddenly the three Exceeds grabbed her. “Someone’s here!” Happy cried out.

“They found us!” Lector said.

“Let’s find somewhere else!” Lucy said. Happy led the way and carried her to a cave about a mile away from their stopped train.

“Can’t…fly…anymore,” Happy said before collapsing. Lector and Frosch joined him.

“You three rest for now. We should be safe here for awhile. But stay close to me,” Lucy told them. She pulled her legs up to her and rested her head on her knees. “Natsu, Gray, Sting, Rogue, be careful please.”

 

* * *

 

“Damn, why won’t this guy go down?” Gray said. He wiped his mouth and stood back up.

Rogue was slouched over on the floor. Having taken a punch earlier, he was throwing up what he had eaten earlier. He looked on as Natsu, Sting and Gray fought on, and wondered if he could continue the fight as he was. Suddenly their foe disappeared.

“Where did he go?” Sting said.

“I don’t know. But stay sharp,” Natsu said.

“I’ll take my leave for now. But the next time we appear, we _will_ get Lucy Heartfilia,” the man said.

“No you won’t. Not if I have anything to say about it,” Natsu said.

“We’ve already sent someone to try and get her. We know where she’s hiding. She will be ours.” He disappeared.

Sting turned around to look at Rogue. “You know what to do.”

Rogue nodded and sunk into the shadows. He could find Lucy by her scent, and she wasn’t that far away. He dodged from place to place and sprang up in the cave she was in, surprising her.

“Rogue!”

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah, what about you guys?”

“He left. But he said that he sent someone after you.”

“We dodged him and came here. But Happy, Lector, and Frosch are exhausted.” She looked over at the tired Exceeds. Rogue walked over and picked up Frosch.

“You did good, Frosch. You too, Lector.”

“Rogue,” Frosch said. “Did you beat him?”

“Yeah we did.”

“That’s good.”

“Finally, we found you guys!” Natsu said, appearing in the doorway. “Sting said that Rogue ahead of us to make sure Lucy was okay.”

“Yeah. I used the shadows to get here, it took no time at all,” Rogue said.

“Natsu!” Happy said. He flew to him weakly. “I hope you don’t need me to get around.”

“Sting, we did a good job of protecting Lucy!” Lector said proudly. “I’m just so tired.”

“I’ll get all three of you some fish when we get back to Iris,” Lucy told them.

“Alright!” Lector said.

As they all started out of the cave, Gray looked ahead. “We’re actually pretty close to town.”

“Yeah, which means we’re also close to our reward!” Natsu said.

Lucy looked back at where the stopped train was, and her mouth dropped in horror. The train was in flames, and smoke was rolling from its shell. “What happened to the train?”

“Well, that’s what happens when you have three dragons on a train,” Natsu said with a big grin.


	6. the unknown voice

“We’re so sorry, sir,” Lucy said. She stood in front of both the mayor of Iris and their client, Henry Davids.

“It’s going to take months to get another train back on the tracks to our town!” the mayor cried out.

“You do realize you will not be getting paid, right?” Mr. Davids asked.

“Yes, sir,” Gray, Lucy, and Natsu all said in unison.

“We will also like to take blame for the destruction of the train,” Sting said, lowering his head.

“It was both Fairy Tail and Sabertooth wizards that destroyed the train, it’s only right that we both take full responsibility for our actions,” Rogue said.

“At least you’re taking full responsibility for your actions,” the mayor told them. “However, it’s a two hour wagon ride to the nearest train station, and then a train to Magnolia. We have a wagon on its way here to take you there now.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lucy said. “We appreciate your generosity.”

After the mayor and Mr. Davids left, Natsu groaned. “Man, same thing every time!”

“Yeah, except for this time you guys destroyed a train car!” Lucy yelled.

“Calm down,” Gray said.

“Yeah, everyone can hear you,” Sting said. He pointed toward the waiting wagon. “Our ride is here. Let’s go.”

They climbed into the wagon, and Lucy had a sudden realization. “What’s Erza going do to us?”

“We’re dead,” Natsu and Gray said together.

“Wait, who worked out this stupid seating arrangement?” she said. “I’m between two people who are going to puke all over me!”

“I promise I’ll aim somewhere else,” Sting told her with a wink. “Natsu is the one whose puke cannon you gotta worry about.”

Gray chuckled across from them. Rogue was sitting beside him. He was looking out of the wagon, in deep thought.

“Alright, Rogue, you gonna tell us what you’re thinking,” Sting asked him.

“It’s nothing.”

The wagon started moving then. Rogue, Sting, and Natsu were all incapacitated at the same time. Lucy wailed.

“You promised you’d aim somewhere else!”

Sting smiled apologetically. “Sorry, Lucy.”

 _I can think of a better way to spend two hours than in a wagon with three puking dragon slayers_ , she thought.

As they rolled along, it was peacefully quiet. She had Sting’s head on her shoulder and Natsu’s head in her lap. Rogue was fast asleep against the side of the carriage. Frosch, Lector, and Happy, who were all busy playing card games, were sitting between him and Gray.

“There’s a small bump ahead, I’m going to try and take it as easy as I can,” their driver called back to them.

“Okay, sir,” Lucy said.

A minute later, she found herself airborne as the carriage hit the bump in the road. Sting and Natsu rammed into each other, Frosch, Lector, and Happy were all sent into Gray’s lap, and Rogue jolted awake. He found Lucy on his lap, and blushed.

“I thought you said ‘small bump,’ that thing was huge!” she said.

“Sorry,” their driver said. “I’ve stopped so I could check the wheels, if you guys would like to stretch your legs this would be the time to do so.”

They all climbed out of the wagon. Natsu and Sting took off in a footrace with Happy and Lector behind them. Lucy sat down on the ground and Frosch came over to her.

“Frosch has taken a real liking to you, Lucy,” Rogue said. He sat down across from her.

“She’s really nice!” Frosch told him.

“Well you’re really cute!” Lucy told him with a smile. Frosch gave her a hug and went back over to Rogue. She looked at Rogue. “I’m sorry about landing in your lap.”

He began blushing. “It’s…okay.”

“So, what do you think you guys are going to do once you get to Magnolia?” she asked him.

“Sting is still intent on helping out Mr. Yajima, so we’re going to do that then I guess we’ll head back to Sabertooth. But this whole thing with Black Phoenix worries me. They could come up at any time.”

“Yeah, I know. And they’re after me, too. But what for?” Lucy said.

“Don’t worry. Pretty sure Natsu won’t let them get their hands on you. And with some extra dragon power in Magnolia, they’ll be fools to try it,” Rogue said.

“Yeah, you’re right! No need for me to worry. I’ll be okay,” Lucy said.

“You guys can come hang out at our guild hall while you’re in Magnolia,” Natsu said, walking up to them.

“Really?” Rogue was surprised. Just a few months ago, they were sworn enemies.

“No problem!”

“You guys may regret that invitation,” Sting said, walking up to them.

“I highly doubt that,” Gray said.

“Excuse me but the wagon is ready,” their driver interrupted. “We still have about an hour to go before we reach the station.”

Everyone climbed back into the wagon, and Lucy, somehow, ended up back in between Sting and Natsu. She groaned. “Can't we put Rogue in my seat?”

“No way,” Rogue said.

Lucy moved over to sit between Rogue and Gray; Lector, Happy, and Frosch began objecting to her moving.

“I don't want to sit between the two of them,” Happy said.

“Yeah, I mean, Sting is my best friend and all, but when he gets motion-sick it's a completely different thing,” Lector said.

“Man, you two are brutal!” Lucy said. “But how about I hold you guys instead?”

“Okay!” Frosch said. He climbed into Lucy’s lap. “Lucy’s so nice.”

“I don’t think ‘nice’ is a good word to describe Lucy,” Happy snickered behind his paws.

“You got something to say, cat?” Lucy said.

“I think Lucy’s nice,” Lector said. He climbed into Lucy’s lap beside Frosch.

“Thank you Lector. And thank you, Frosch,” Lucy said, smiling.

“What?! That leaves me to sit between them!” Happy cried out. “Aw man!” He walked slowly toward Natsu and Sting. “I’m not going to enjoy this.”

“Sorry,” Lucy said.

“You still owe me fish when we get back to the guild hall!” Happy told her.

“I know. I’ll get you an extra one for this,” Lucy told him.

“Okay. I’ll do it for the fishies!” Happy said.

“We’ve arrived at the station,” their driver said about ten minutes later.

“Finally,” Natsu said.

“But you’ll just have to turn around and get on a train after you get off the wagon,” Lucy told him. She helped him, Sting, and Rogue all get off the wagon, and waved goodbye at the driver as he left.

“We need a rest. Just a few minutes. Please,” Sting said.

“Alright, fine. We’ll be leaving in ten minutes. Gray and I will be inside the station waiting on you guys.”

She left them outside and headed inside with Gray, Happy, Lector, and Frosch. They looked around. “Is it me, or does this place seem emptier than normal?” Gray asked.

“Yeah. But it is late evening. So people are probably already home with their families,” Lucy told him.

A gust of wind blew past her, and she struggled to keep her skirt from flying up. Natsu, Sting, and Rogue came running in. “Is everything okay?” Natsu asked.

“Yeah, why?” Gray asked.

_Lucy… Heartfilia…_

“Huh? Who said my name?” Lucy asked, spinning around.

“No one said your name, Luce,” Gray said, alarmed. Sting and Rogue looked at Lucy, worry in their eyes.

_Only you can hear me, Lucy…_

“Okay, I’m seriously scared now,” Lucy said.

_Your friends are hindering your true power…_

“Please, leave me alone!”

“Lucy, get ahold of yourself!” Natsu yelled, grabbing her.

_Lucy…_

She slumped down onto her knees and sobbed. Natsu sat down with her. “What’s wrong? Lucy?”

“My head… the voice… it hurts…” she cried.

“Lucy…” Happy said.

Frosch started crying. “Is she going to be okay?” he asked Rogue.

“Yeah, she will. Let’s hurry and get her back to Fairy Tail. They’ll know what’s wrong with her,” he said.

Natsu stood up and had Lucy in his arms. “Whoever did this to Lucy is going to pay!”


	7. holy healing magic

“Did she mention, by any chance, what the voice said to her?” Makarov Dreyar asked.

“No,” Gray said.

“I can’t make it out. It’s like something is blocking me from healing her mind,” Wendy Marvell said. “I’m so sorry. If only I was more powerful…”

“Rogue, did you feel anything in the shadows?” Master Makarov asked.

“No, sir. So I don’t know what’s going on. But the train station, when we walked in, it’s like it was completely empty.”

Master Makarov lowered his head in thought. “Erza is still gone on a job request. I don’t know if we have anyone here who can go and inspect the place.”

“Sabertooth can. I’ll have a few of my members go there at once. I’ll have Orga and Rufus meet Yukino there,” Sting told him. “Rogue and I will stay here and help you guys out. If it was something in the shadows, Rogue can definitely sniff it out.”

“That’d be a big help. Whatever this was hurt one of my children. I cannot simply stand by while this happens.” Master Makarov left the infirmary, and it was just Wendy, Sting, Rogue, Gray, Natsu, Lector, Frosch, Happy, and Carla in there.

“What’s wrong with Lucy?” Erza said, opening the door. Sting and Rogue jumped.

“She heard a voice, and it’s affected her somehow. But I can’t heal her mind,” Wendy said.

 _Maybe the voice… was part of the shadows?_ Rogue mused to himself. _No, that’s impossible. But if it was dark magic, maybe Sting and Wendy together…_

“You’re looking deep in thought,” Erza said to him. “What’s up?”

“Well, I was thinking… maybe it was a voice of dark magic that spoke to her. Sting’s dragon slaying magic is holy, and his and Wendy’s dragon slaying magic together might work.”

“Holy healing magic?” Sting asked. He looked over at Lucy. “Could it work?”

“Yeah, maybe. If we use our power delicately enough together, it could,” Wendy said.

“Okay. Let’s try it.”

Sting walked over to where Wendy was standing. He looked at her for guidance.

“I don’t think the word ‘delicate’ is in Sting’s vocabulary,” Lector said, snickering.

“Shut up!” Sting said.

Wendy laughed nervously. “Okay, put your hand over her head like mine is.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah. But over more towards her ear.”

“You’re already messing up and haven’t even _done_ anything,” Gray said.

“Shut up!” Sting said again.

“Now we combine our powers. Gently, now,”

Sting released his magic as gently as he could. He watched as his magic combined with Wendy’s and trickled into Lucy’s mind. “Wow. _Holy healing magic._ ”

Lucy’s eyes fluttered open. “Where am I?”

Natsu ran over to her. “You’re in the infirmary in the guild hall. You passed out at the train station a few hours ago.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you guys,” she said. She started crying again. “I’m so sorry.”

“At least you’re okay now, thanks to Sting and Wendy’s magic,” Erza said.

Rogue stood by the door. _How did I know that would work?_

“You knew because you are the Shadow Dragon Slayer. The shadows are your domain. So, naturally, you knew there was something dark inside her mind that needed to be healed with holy magic,” Erza told him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know I spoke out loud,” Rogue said.

“It’s okay. No need to apologize.”

“I think that’s all of it,” Wendy said. She sat down and sighed.

“Man, I’ve never used my magic like that before!” Sting said.

“We appreciate your help,” Master Makarov said, coming through the door. “Lucy, how are you feeling?”

“A lot better now, thanks to Sting and Wendy.” She began to get out of the bed. “I even feel well enough to get out of bed.”

“Good. then you can attend the welcome party we’re having for Sabertooth!” Makarov smiled.

“What?” Sting and Rogue said together in unison.

“It’s the least we can do since you guys helped out Lucy!” Happy said.

“Alright! Now we get to show you guys we _really_ party in Fairy Tail!” Gray said.

“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lucy said.

“What are you saying, Lucy? Of course it’s a good idea!” Natsu said.

Lucy laughed nervously. “Of course you’d think it was a good idea,” she told him.

“We’ll be waiting on you outside, Lucy,” Erza said. Everyone left the room, except Rogue.

“What’s wrong, Rogue?” Lucy asked.

“If whatever that… _thing_ … was that you heard was part of the shadows, why could I not sense it?” he asked.

Lucy lowered her head. “I’m not sure.”

“What did it say to you, if I may ask?”

“That my friends are hindering my true power…” Lucy looked at her hands in her lap. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Sabertooth learned from Fairy Tail that true power lies in friendship. And it’s the same for you. Someone is trying to get you to abandon your friends. And I know you won’t do that.” He turned around to look at her. “You’re a member of Fairy Tail.”

Lucy stood up. “You’re right. I’m never going to abandon my friends. They’re what got me this far.”

“We’ll be waiting on you, Lucy.” He waved at her before leaving.

Lucy began changing back into her clothes. _They’re waiting on me._ She climbed the stairs that led back into the guild hall and passed the guild’s library. She hesitated for a moment before going inside. “Maybe there’s something in here about it?”

“Is there something specific you’re looking for?” a voice said.

“First Master Mavis!” Lucy said. “I was hoping to find something out about what happened to me.”

“That was a dark magic that could only be Zeref’s doing,” she told her.

“So… it was _Zeref_ I heard? But how?” Lucy asked, trembling. “What does he want with me?”

“Don’t worry, Lucy. You’re protected by many friends. You’ll never fall into Zeref’s hands,” she told her, smiling.

Lucy looked up at her. She felt a wave of relief wash over her. “Thank you, Master Mavis.”

“Your friends are out there waiting on you. Go and greet them with a smile!” Mavis told her.

“Yeah!” Lucy left the library with a smile.

Mavis sat down on one of the tables. “Zeref. What are you up to?”


	8. the darkness inside

“Wow, you guys sure know how to party,” Sting said. He was laying flat on his back on the floor.

“Sting! You drank too much!” Lector said, standing over him. Rogue and Frosch were sitting at the end of a table beside him.

“Are you sure he’s going to be okay?” Lucy asked Rogue.

“He’ll be fine.”

“Who’s next? Come at me!” Natsu said. “I’m all fired up now!”

Lucy looked back at Master Makarov, who was sitting on the bar drinking. She stood up and headed over to him. “Master?”

“Yes?”

“I went into the guild’s library on my way up here, hoping to find something that would help me with what happened to me, and I ran into First Master Mavis.”

Master Makarov looked at her. “And?”

“She said that whatever happened to me was dark magic, and it could only have been Zeref’s doing,” Lucy said. She hung her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Hold your head high, child, and look around you. These people around you will help you fight the darkness. And if you stray from the path, you can guarantee that you can always find your way home, back to Fairy Tail.”

Lucy’s lip trembled. She turned and saw everyone looking at her with big smiles. Frosch came up to her and she kneeled.

“I’ll always be there for you, Lucy,” Frosch told her.

She hugged Frosch. “Thank you Frosch.”

“Sabertooth has your back, for sure!” Lector said.

“Aw, Lector,” Lucy hugged him as well.

Natsu grinned. “See? You don’t have anything to worry about, Lucy. We’re all here for you.”

She nodded and wiped a tear from her eyes. She couldn’t believe that she even doubted herself for a minute when she was surrounded by so many friends.

“So Sting, when are we gonna do what we originally came here to do?” Lector called down to Sting.

“Tomorrow. Too much traveling today. But after we have a good night’s rest, we’ll be able to do a good job,” Sting told him.

“You’re right,” Lector said. “After all, who wants a sick dragon slayer carrying their food around?”

“Oh yes. You guys came to help out Mr. Yajima at his restaurant, didn’t you?” Erza asked them.

Rogue nodded. “Yes, but we were a little late on arriving back due to the incident with the trains,” he said.

“Mr. Yajima understands.”

Lucy stood up and walked over to Master Makarov. “Master, is it okay if I look around in the guild’s library for more information?”

“Of course.”

Lucy looked over at Rogue. “You will come help me, right?”

“Of course,” Rogue said.

“I will too!” Frosch said.

“Seems like we all have a bit of reading ahead of us,” Erza said.

“I’ll help out too,” Levy spoke up. “The more people that look the better chance we have of finding something out.”

“That’s true,” Sting said. He stood up. “We should start immediately.”

“Yeah. Let’s go,” Lucy said.

She began to go down into the guild’s library, but stopped suddenly. She put her hand up to her head. Gray, who was in front of her, turned back to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I think it’s just a headache. I’ll be fine,” she told him.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Down in the guild library, everyone gathered around the table. Erza turned to look at Lucy, who was the last to enter. “Where should we start?”

“Any book that you think would have a mention of Zeref, get it down,” Lucy said. “Happy, Lector, Frosch, can you three help out by bringing us books that are up high?”

“Of course,” Happy said.

“Don't worry, we got it,” Lector said.

“Okay you guys, let's do this!” Lucy said. “Let's start by breaking up into three groups, and each group will have a cat.”

“Excellent idea, Lucy,” Erza said.

“Hey, guys,” Wendy said, coming down the steps. She was followed by Gajeel and their Exceeds, Carla and Pantherlily.

“Oh, hey Wendy. And- _Gajeel_?” Lucy said.

“Sting, Rogue, Master Makarov said you were down here with Natsu, Lucy, and the others, so he asked me to bring your friends down here too.” Wendy stepped aside and Yukino, Rufus, and Orga stepped into the room.

“What are you guys doing here?” Sting asked. “What about the train station.”

“We checked it out, but it's almost as if nothing happened,” Rufus said. “There were people everywhere, and we arrived shortly after you guys were there.”

“This doesn't sound good,” Erza said. “We must find out everything we can and soon.” She turned around. “We now have five Exceeds. It may be a lot easier if we all go to _that place._ ”

“Wait are you talking about the Library of Sorcery?” Lucy asked.

“That's a long ride from here, and i don't think Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue could all handle it,” Levy said.

“But still, the guild’s library might not have the information we need,” Erza said.

“I can cast a Troia spell on them so they don't get sick!” Wendy said. “And we need this information for Lucy.”

“We still came here to do a job, so we have to do that before anything else,” Sting said, standing up. “We have to help Mr. Yajima out for two days, but then we will be available.”

“Okay everyone. We leave in two days for the Library of Sorcery,” Erza said. “Be sure you're ready.”

“Don't forget, you guys are helping us out at Mr. Yajima’s,” Sting reminded Natsu.

“Like I'd forget that!” Natsu yelled.

“Anyways, we'll see you guys tomorrow. We're tired.” Sting waved at them as him and Rogue followed Yukino, Rufus, and Orga out.

“Sting, Rogue, wait up!” Natsu called, racing after them.

Lucy sat down at the wooden table and put her head in her hands.

“Is your head still hurting?” Erza asked.

“Just a little,” she answered truthfully. “How'd you know?”

“Gray told me. He seemed a bit worried, and so was Natsu.” Erza sat down beside her.

“Really?” Lucy asked.

“Honestly, everyone is worried about you. Even our friends from Sabertooth are worried about you.”

“I'll be okay. I'm just about to head home. Maybe a bit of sleep will help my headache.” Lucy smiled at Erza as she stood up. “Goodnight!”

Erza stood up as well. “I'll head back into the guild with you.”

They walked back up the stairs together. Once they reached the guild hall, Lucy waved goodbye at Erza and left with her things. Erza walked over to Master Makarov, who was sitting at the bar. He looked at her and sighed.

“Lucy's having headaches, Master,” Erza said.

“It's as I feared. She still has darkness inside her. We must keep a close eye on her,” he said. “She has went home for the night, I presume?”

“Yes. And knowing Natsu, he'll be there along with some friends.”

Lucy walked along the sidewalk toward her apartment. She thought over the events of the day and sighed. _My headache is still hanging around. I need a warm bath and a good long rest._

She walked up the steps leading to her apartment. “I think I’ll do a bit of writing before I lay down. We had too much happen for me to not write down!”

She opened the door to her apartment and saw Sting, Rogue, and Natsu all inside. Lector, Frosch, and Happy were jumping up and down on her bed. “My room!” she cried out.

“I told you guys she wouldn’t be too pleased,” Rogue said.

“I said so too!” Frosch agreed.

“What are you guys doing here?” Lucy asked.

“We wanted to make sure you were alright before we headed to our inn for the night,” Sting told her.

“Yeah, you’ve definitely been out of it all day. We want to make sure you’re okay,” Gray said, coming out of her bathroom in his underwear.

“Put on your clothes!” Lucy yelled, throwing a chair at him.

“Dammit!”

“Well it seems like she’s okay,” Happy said. “Can we leave?”

“Hey, Lucy, you can’t write a story and leave us hanging. When are you going to write more?” Sting asked. He held up the story that Lucy had been writing on.

“Hey, let me read it,” Rogue said.

“That’s mine!” she said, yanking it away from Sting.

“Alright, spill it. What’s up?” Natsu said, speaking up.

Lucy began to cry. “My head has been hurting since I woke up today. I don’t know what it is. But I’m afraid that something’s wrong.”

“Even if something is wrong, we’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt you,” Sting said.

“Yeah. Anyone that tries to hurt you will pay for it.” Natsu said.

“Yeah!” Happy said.

Lucy smiled. She knew she could count on Natsu to make her feel better.


	9. possession

“Coming through!” Sting said, walking past where Lucy was sitting with a full tray of food in his hands.

“Sting, that’s an awful lot,” Lector said.

“It’s no use, he won’t listen,” Rogue told him. He had an empty tray under his arm.

“Guys, really, I’m okay,” Lucy said. “Let me help out.”

“No way, we got this,” Sting told her.

“Rogue, come get this order!” Rufus called out from the kitchen.

“On my way!” Rogue called back. He turned to look at Frosch and Lector. “Stay here with Lucy, okay?”

“Of course. You don’t have to worry,” Lector said.

“We’ll make sure she’s okay!” Frosch told him.

“Hey, Lucy,” Natsu said, bringing her a drink. “On me.”

“Aw, thanks Natsu.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Natsu walked over to Sting and Rogue. “So how’s stuff been going?”

“She’s been good so far. Nothing like the other day,” Rogue said.

“Okay. That’s good.” Natsu looked back at Lucy. She was laughing at something Lector had said, and Frosch had climbed into her lap. “If you guys feel anything off, let me know.”

“Got it,” Sting and Rogue said.

“Natsu! Order up!” Rufus said. “We need to get these orders out, you guys.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Natsu said, hurrying to pick up the order.

“We’re awfully short-staffed for such a busy day, aren’t we?” Sting said.

“At least we have some people here helping though,” Rogue said.

“You guys, I’m always available to help,” Lucy called out.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be okay,” Rogue told her. He walked back by her with a tray full of food. “I need a break.”

Lucy stood up. She was wearing the traditional 8-island waitress outfit and had her order book in hand. “Tell me which table to take it to and I’ll take over for you!”

Rogue couldn’t tell her no. He pointed out the table to her. “That one right there.”

Lucy picked up the tray and walked over to the table. She greeted the customers with a smile and gave them their food. Rogue laughed.

“Lucy, I thought we told you we’d be okay?” Natsu said.

“Relax, she’s filling in for me while I’m taking a break,” Rogue told him. “And besides, we do need a bit more help so I thought why not?”

“Someone slipped five hundred jewel into my pocket!” Lucy said.

“That’s not fair!” Natsu said.

“Where’s Gray and Erza? I thought they’d be here helping us out,” Sting said.

“Gramps sent them and Wendy on some secret mission today. So it’s just us,” Natsu said.

“That’s so not cool,” Sting answered.

“Where’s your other two members that are supposed to be here? Orga and Yukino?” Natsu asked.

“I sent them on a short mission of our own. They should be back soon,” Sting said.

Rogue came over to them. “Have you guys seen Lucy?”

“She was over there just a minute ago,” Sting said.

“You smell that?” Natsu asked.

“It’s the same scent that was around the other day at the train station!” Rogue said. He ran outside. “Lucy!”

“Are you saying that the same person who attacked her is here again?” Natsu asked, following him.

“I’m not sure, but the magic is familiar!” Rogue called back to him. “We need to find Lucy!”

They ran down the street, Rogue in the lead. They passed the Fairy Tail guild hall and kept running until they turned onto Strawberry Street. They saw Lucy walking dazedly into her apartment, and hurried to catch up with her.

“Lucy!” Natsu said, grabbing her. “Lucy, are you okay?”

“She seems to be possessed,” Rogue said.

“Why did you guys just run off without telling us?” Sting called out to them, catching up. Happy, Frosch, and Lector were with him.

“Oh no! Lucy!” Happy said, landing beside her. “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. It seems as if something is trying to control her,” Rogue said.

“But we healed her! Wendy and I healed her!” Sting said. “She should be okay!”

“Shame. You guys came looking for her. I had hoped to get her without interference from you three, but it seems that will be impossible,” someone said from behind them.

Natsu turned around, but no one was there. “Who are you?”

“You will find out, in time. Now, do you have the heart to attack your friend?”

“What?”

Before Natsu could react, Lucy’s fleuve d’etoiles lashed out around his wrist. He looked down at it and back at Lucy. “What are you doing, Lucy?!”

“Lucy!” Happy said tearfully. “Can you hear me?”

 _Yes, I can hear you!_ Lucy thought desperately. _But I can’t control my actions!_

 _I can’t attack Lucy!_ Natsu thought. _I just can’t!_

“What’s going on?” Erza asked, running up to them, Gray, Wendy, and Carla with her.

“Sting, Rogue, what’s going on?” Rufus asked, appearing then with Orga and Yukino.

“Lucy!” Natsu said. He pulled on his end of the fleuve d’etoiles but it didn’t give. He was stuck.

Lucy yanked on her end of the whip and Natsu crashed face first into the ground. He looked up at her from the ground. _This isn’t Lucy. Something has taken over her mind. I can’t hurt her, but I_ have _to help her._

“Lucy, I know you’re in there,” Natsu said. “I know you can hear me! _Fight back!_ ”

 _I_ am _in here!_ Lucy thought. _I_ am _fighting back!_

Natsu braced himself against the lashing of her fleuve d’etoiles. He barely heard the others in the background; it was just him and Lucy, and she wasn’t even _herself_. He wasn’t going to hurt her. His feelings for her ran too deep for him to do that. He looked up at Lucy as he tried to catch his breath; the relentless lashings were draining his energy.

“Someone please stop this,” Wendy begged tearfully. “I can’t stand to watch it anymore!”

“Natsu, you have to fight back!” Gray said.

“I’m not going to hurt her! Something may have taken control of her mind, but that’s still our Lucy and I won’t hurt her!” Natsu yelled.

Lucy raised her arm, whip in hand. Natsu braced himself for another barrage of attacks, but they never came. He looked at Lucy and saw that she had tears rolling down her face.

“She’s crying,” Happy said. “Maybe that means that she’s coming back to normal?”

“Lucy, can you hear us?” Erza asked.

“Of course she can hear us,” Natsu said. He stood up unsteadily; his energy was low and he was out of breath. “She’s still in there.”

 _I can hear you, Natsu! I can hear everyone!_ Lucy thought to herself. _I never wanted to attack you, Natsu._

“Please… help me…” Lucy whispered.

“Lucy…” Natsu said.

She collapsed to her knees on the ground in front of him. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed.

“She needs medical attention,” Rogue said. He was pale.

“Let’s take her back to Fairy Tail,” Erza said.

“Yeah, maybe someone can help us out,” Gray said.

Natsu picked up Lucy, who had passed out. His body hurt, but his heart hurt more because he couldn’t do more to help Lucy. “Let’s go.”


	10. shadows

“Is she going to be okay?” Natsu asked.

“She should be fine. But the emotional damage will take time to heal,” Wendy said.

“The fact that she was able to overwhelm Natsu is a feat in its own,” Makarov said. “But at least she’s okay for now.”

“Natsu wasn’t fighting back, but if he did, she probably would’ve lost,” Rogue said. “She was showing amazing power.”

Natsu sat down in the chair by the bed Lucy was in. “I’m not leaving.”

“No one is making you leave, Natsu,” Gray said.

“Whoever is controlling Lucy will probably be back, and I’m not letting them get away.” Natsu grit his teeth together. “I’m going to get some answers.”

“We all want answers too,” Gray said. “Like why is it Lucy they’re after?”

“We may never know. But right now our number one concern is finding out who did this to Lucy,” Makarov said. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

“Let’s go,” Erza said. “We need to hear what he’s got to say.”

“I’m right behind you,” Gray said.

Wendy stood up and walked past Rogue. “You’re coming too, right?” she asked.

“I’m not a member of Fairy Tail,” he said.

“That doesn't matter. You're still our friend!” Wendy told him. “We could use your help!”

Rogue looked at her, surprised. “You got me convinced. I'll come upstairs in a few.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then.” Wendy smiled at him before leaving.

Rogue walked over to where Lucy was laying down. Natsu went to stand beside him. “Are you not going upstairs with the rest of Fairy Tail?”

“I swore I would stay here and protect Lucy. I don’t need to hear what Gramps has to say,” Natsu said. “If anyone lays a finger on Lucy, I’ll make sure they pay!”

Rogue clenched his fist. Lucy was a friend, and seeing a friend in pain is the last thing he ever wanted to see again. He made for the door to the infirmary. “I’ll let you know if I sense anything.”

“Okay,” Natsu told him. “By the way, it’s nice to know that you guys have our backs.”

“Same here,” Rogue told him before leaving. He headed up the stairs and out into a crowded guild hall. Everyone was standing in front of the stage. He pushed his way through the crowd until he found Sting. “So what’s going on?”

“Just waiting on Master Makarov,” he told him.

Rogue looked around him. He saw Yukino with Mirajane and Lisanna Strauss, Cana Alberona, and Juvia Locksar; Rufus was busy talking to Freed Justine, and Orga was speaking to Laxus Dreyar. Everyone had found someone to talk to. He smiled.

“Is Natsu coming up?” Sting asked him.

“No. He’s staying with Lucy. Pretty sure he wants to make sure she’s safe while we’re all up here.”

Makarov stepped up on the stage then, and everyone hushed. He had a look of seriousness on his face. “One of our own has been tainted with darkness. We are preparing to set out on a dangerous journey to find the fiends that did this. We will run into trouble along the way. I cannot guarantee your safety. But I am thankful that the master of the Sabertooth guild, Sting, has provided his guild’s assistance.”

Sting gave an embarrassed smile. Rogue grinned.

“Whether you are Fairy Tail or Sabertooth, know that you will always have each other’s backs. And know that no matter where you are, even if we can’t see you, we will _always_ be watching over you!”

An eruption of cheers sounded, Sting and Rogue included. They waded through the crowd and went to Makarov. He greeted them with a wave.

“That was an amazing speech, sir!” Sting said.

“Thank you,” Makarov said.

“So we’re heading into battle?” Rogue said.

“Yes. We’re splitting into teams and heading out soon. I suppose you would like to put your members with members from Fairy Tail?” Makarov asked Sting.

“Yes. Even though they can all work together as a team, I think sending them out with Fairy Tail members is best,” Sting answered.

“If it’s okay, I’d like to stay here with Natsu and Lucy,” Rogue requested. “That way she has extra protection in case someone comes back for her.”

“That’s fine,” Makarov said. “The majority of our best fighters will be heading out so having extra people here will be helpful.”

“Sting, I trust you’ll be okay?” Rogue asked.

“Of course!” Sting said, grinning. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later then.”

Rogue turned around and headed back down to the infirmary. Natsu looked up at the doorway when he walked in.

“What are you doing back here?”

Rogue sat down in a chair against the wall. “I asked to stay here.”

“I can watch over Lucy myself!” Natsu growled.

“No one said you couldn’t.”

The two dragon slayers had an intense stare down. After a few minutes, Natsu finally turned away. “Stay all you want. I’m not leaving.”

Rogue looked away. “I didn’t ask you to leave.”

“Oh yeah? Well, if you even think about making a move on Lucy, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“Will you just shut up? I’m not interested in Lucy!” Rogue retorted.

“What are you two arguing about?” Lucy asked them, sitting up.

“Lucy!” Rogue and Natsu said together.

“How are you feeling?” Natsu asked.

“My head feels cloudy. But I’m okay,” she answered.

“That’s great,” Rogue said.

She gave them a small smile. “So where is everyone else?”

“They’re all getting ready to leave,” Natsu said. “They’re going to search for the people that did this to you.”

“There’s no need for that,” Lucy said.

Rogue looked at her. “Natsu, did everyone leave already?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Natsu replied.

“I need you to go get Master Makarov. And Sting, if he’s here.”

Natsu looked at him. “What’s your problem?”

“Just go!” Rogue yelled. “Hurry!”

Natsu hesitated before leaving the room. Rogue stared down Lucy. “Who are you?”

“Ah, so you noticed. I guess I need more practice on my possession skills,” a male voice said. Lucy passed out as a dark shadow slithered away from her.

“Lucy!” Rogue said. “What did you do to her?”

“She’s fine now. The shadow that was possessing her is family magic; my father cast it on her and so he, my brother, and I all had access to possessing her.” A young man stood up across from Rogue. “Man, it’s tough work being part of the shadows.”

“So your family used magic to possess her through shadows?” Rogue clenched his fist. “That must be why I was able to sense your presence.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am the Shadow Dragon Slayer, Rogue Cheney. I can become one with the shadows.”

The man’s eyes widened then narrowed. “Oh, we have a problem here.”

Rogue braced himself to attack. _Where is Natsu?!_

The man continued, “You see, I was sent here to kidnap Lucy Heartfilia. But now that I know that there’s a _dragon slayer_ that controls the shadows, I must take you too.”

“What?!”

The man snapped his fingers and Rogue began getting drowsy. _No… Dammit Natsu, where are you?!_

“You two will be great assets for Lord Zeref. I know it.”


	11. confessions

“Ow!”

“Sorry.”

Lucy pushed Rogue away with her feet. “God, this is embarrassing. Why did they have to take our clothes?”

“Stop pushing my left side! That hurts! And I don’t know,” he said.

Lucy lowered her feet. “Where are we?”

“Hell if I know. But we aren’t in Magnolia.”

Lucy sighed. “This sucks. How will they be able to find us?”

“Did you forget that our friends are dragon slayers with incredible senses?” Rogue asked her.

Lucy sat back against the cold wall of their cell. Being imprisoned with Rogue was _not_ at the top of her list. He sat opposite her, staring down at the floor. He avoided eye contact with Lucy.

“We’re not _fully_ naked, you know! You can look at me!” Lucy told him.

“It’s not that,” he said. “I stayed behind to make sure you were okay. But I failed. We were both kidnapped.” He turned his head away. “I had one job, and I _failed_.”

Lucy looked at him. “You didn’t fail. I’m okay, aren’t I?”

Rogue looked at her and smiled. “Yeah.”

“Now we just need to figure out a way to get out of here and find our clothes!” Lucy said.

“I would break us out of here, but these cuffs are suppressing my magic,” Rogue said. “It’s near impossible for me to break them with my strength.”

“They took my Celestial Spirit keys and my fleuve d’étoiles as well,” Lucy said. “But Loke can pass through the gate on his own!”

“One of your spirits can come and go on his own? I don’t recall any of Yukino’s spirits being able to do that,” Rogue said.

“It’s a long story that’ll take awhile to explain.” Lucy moved herself to where she was on her knees. “I wonder how I can get him to come through the gate here to us, though.”

Rogue collapsed. He was out of breath from trying to break his cuffs. “Damn, what are we going to do?!”

“Rogue, don’t worry. We’ll find a way out of here.” Lucy tried to stand up but fell over onto his lap. “Sorry!”

“It’s fine!” Rogue wheezed.

Lucy rolled off of his lap and onto the concrete floor. “We’re stuck here.”

Rogue raised his head to look at Lucy. “What’s the deal between you and Natsu?”

Lucy blushed. “Huh?”

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll keep it all a secret.”

Lucy heard him shuffle his way to her. “Well, see…” _How do I put this?_

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay.”

“It’s not like that,” Lucy said. A sad expression crossed over her face. “I like Natsu, really, but I’m afraid that he doesn’t like me.”

“I know what you mean,” Rogue said. “At least, how you feel anyway.”

Lucy blushed. “You aren’t saying you - ”

“No. How do I put this…” Rogue tried to put the words together. “I like Sting, and I don’t think he feels the same way about me.”

“What? Oh. _Ohhhh._ ” It suddenly clicked in Lucy’s head. “Have you ever talked to him about it?”

Rogue shook his head. “Admitting to your best friend that you have feelings for him isn’t something that’s easy to talk about, right?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I guess we _are_ in the same boat.”

“If we both get out of here, let’s make a deal,” Rogue said.

“What kind of deal?” Lucy asked him.

“We talk to Natsu and Sting. Tell them how we feel. And then we go from there.” Rogue stood up. “But until then, it’s us against them.”

“Yeah. Us against them.”

As Lucy stood up, a guard came around the corner to their cell. “I’ve been told to get the two of you.”

“What are you going to do to us?” Rogue asked.

“Nothing special.” The guard held out his hand and used magic to unlock their cell door. “It’s all up to Zeref what happens.”

“Zeref?” Lucy whispered.

“Is he here?” Rogue said.

“He will be. Go on,” the guard said, poking Lucy in the back. “And don’t _even_ think of making a run for it or I’ll kill your friend here.”

Lucy grit her teeth. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. _I won’t cry, not here!_

As the guard ushered Rogue out of the cell, he made sure to whisper in his ear, “And if _you_ make a run for it, I’ll make it so that there’s not even a sliver of blondie left, and I’m not even talking about this one here.”

“I’ll _kill_ you for that!” Rogue shouted.

“What did I just say?” the guard said.

Rogue was brimming with fury. He had just threatened Sting’s life. _Sting… Dammit!_

After being led down a long flight of steps, they emerged into a vast room with two angular-standing tables with cuffs, a strange device that was hanging overhead, and a remote switch beside it. Lucy barely had time to look at the machine and figure it out. She looked over at Rogue and saw he was looking at the device with horror.

“You can’t do this to Lucy!” he shouted. “She won’t survive it!”

“She’ll survive it. She is, after all, the key,” came a young man’s voice.

“Y-you!” Lucy cried.

Rogue watched as Zeref came walking toward them. _I’m shaking… this man is making me scared, fearful for my life. He’s got that kind of power._

“What are we waiting for?” Zeref asked, snapping his fingers. Lucy and Rogue collapsed to the ground. “Let’s get started.”


	12. freedom

“Lucy?”

“Yeah?”

“You alright?”

“Yeah.”

Rogue sat up. His whole body hurt from the pain of having his magic drained from him. He crawled over to Lucy, who was breathing heavily. He grabbed her hand and felt that it was cold. “Don’t die on me, Lucy.”

“I’m just weak,” Lucy said. She tried to set herself up. “Uh…”

Rogue’s face turned red when he realized that they were both naked. “S-sorry. I didn’t see anything.”

Lucy sat up, covering her chest. “Where _are_ we?”

“I think we’re back in our cell.” Rogue leaned up. He noticed that neither one of them had cuffs on their wrists. “They didn’t put the cuffs on us this time. They must think that we’re not a threat if we had our magic drained.”

Lucy looked at her wrists. The cuffs were no longer there, but they felt like they were. _What’s going on?_ she thought. _Why are they doing this?_

Rogue looked over at Lucy, who was pointedly looking away from him. He turned away from her. _We need to get out of here and fast. But I can’t muster up the strength to bust down the door, and Lucy still doesn’t have her keys._ He looked over at Lucy. _Lucy seems to be getting worse with each passing minute. Dammit._

He crawled over to her. “Lucy, please stay strong. You have to stay strong. Natsu will be here soon.”

“It’s hard for me to be strong when I’m feeling so weak,” she told him.

“I know. But we’ll be out of here soon.”

As they lay on the floor of their cell, Lucy looked over at Rogue. He was in pain, just like her, but she could tell that he was trying to get some strength back so he could bust their cell open. She mustered enough strength to lean up on her arms. “Rogue?”

“Yeah?”

“Still think we should talk to Natsu and Sting if we make it out of here?”

His eyes widened. “That’s up to you.”

They lay there for a few more minutes. Rogue drifted off into a haze of sleep, thinking about what could be going on outside of their prison cell. He noticed Lucy’s breathing had finally regulated and she was resting. _Sting, where are you?_

“Lucy! Where are you?” someone yelled from outside their cell door.

Lucy bolted up. “Uh…”

“That was Natsu,” Rogue said.

“Rogue, where are you?” came Sting’s voice.

Rogue tripped trying to stand up. “Sting! We’re up here!” he yelled out.

He watched as Sting and Natsu came over to their cell door with the help of Happy, Lector, and Frosch. His Exceed flew through the bars and hugged him. “I missed you, Frosch!”

“I did too!” Frosch cried.

“Stand back,” Natsu said. He heated up the bars with his hands and pushed them apart. He and Sting stepped into the cell, and Natsu ran over to Lucy. “Lucy, are you okay?”

“We’re okay, now,” Rogue said. He tried to stand up.

“Wait, where are your clothes?” Sting asked him.

“Gone. As are Lucy’s.”

Sting and Natsu’s faces turned red. “We didn’t realize you guys were naked…”

“It’s not by _choice_ ,” Rogue said. “Lucy also doesn’t have her gate keys. We need to get them back.”

“Leave that up to us,” Happy said. “Come on, Lector.”

Lector nodded. They flew out of the cell and down the corridor. Sting waited until they had left before turning back around. Natsu had put his jacket around Lucy’s shoulders, so she wasn’t as exposed and was helping her stand up. Sting pulled Rogue up and tossed him the sheet from the bed to cover himself up. “We need to hurry and leave.”

Rogue nodded. Frosch stood beside him, worried. “Are we going to be okay?”

“Yes, Frosch.”

“We’re back!” Happy said. “We couldn’t find Lucy’s keys.”

“We looked everywhere, too!” Lector said. “I wonder where they could be.”

“I might know,” Lucy said. “I think I saw them in the room where they took Rogue and me.”

“Then that’s where we need to go. Do you think you can find your way back?” Natsu asked her.

Lucy nodded. She still felt weak, but right now she needed her keys back. She tried to steady herself with Natsu’s help; Rogue finished tying a knot into the bedsheet and stood tall. He tested out his magic and was pleased to see that it came to him.

“Let’s go, before the guards realize we’re gone,” he told them. “Lucy, are you able to walk?”

“Yeah. Come on, you guys,” she said. They crawled through the hole in the cell door and began to run down the narrow corridors. Rogue led the way, his nose guiding them. Lucy and Sting followed him, and Natsu brought up the rear. Happy, Lector and Frosch flew alongside them.

“What exactly did they _do_ to you guys?” Sting asked.

“They drained our magic power,” Rogue said. “It left us weak for quite some time.”

“But why were you two naked?” Happy asked. “They could have drained your magic with your clothes still on you.”

“I know. I think it was to humiliate us.”

“Up here!” Lucy said. They turned a corner and found themselves in the room from before. Lucy turned her head away from the drain machine and instead began looking for her keys on a nearby table. “I’m pretty sure I saw them here.”

“We’ll help you look for your keys. Natsu, can you keep an eye out and let us know if anyone comes our way?” Rogue asked.

“Yeah,” Natsu said. He positioned himself by the door.

Sting ventured over to the tables where they had drained Lucy and Rogue’s magic. _I can’t imagine the torture they went through. I’m just glad that Lucy and Rogue are okay._ He looked down and saw something glinting on the floor. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was a ring full of Celestial Spirit keys.

“Lucy, look! It’s your keys!” Sting said. He held them out to her.

“Thanks so much!” she said. She clutched her keys tightly. “Now I can help out.”

“Guys, someone is coming!” Natsu said. He backed away from the door and went to stand in front of Lucy. Sting and Rogue did the same.

“ … how did the two prisoners escape?!” came a voice. “They shouldn’t have been able to!”

“I _told_ you we should have put the anti-magic cuffs back on them after we drained their magic!” a second voice shouted. “Now they’ve busted out!”

“Find them! Capture them alive!”

“What are we going to do?” Happy asked.

“I know!” Lucy said. She held out a gold key - Virgo’s. “Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!”

“You summoned me, Princess?” Virgo asked, appearing.

“Can you dig a hole for us to escape through?” Lucy asked.

“Of course.” Virgo dived down into the ground.

“Lucy, be careful. Your magic hasn’t fully come back yet,” Sting said.

“I know. But this is necessary,” she said.

Virgo popped her head out of the hole. “Princess, I have dug a tunnel leading outside.”

“Thanks, Virgo!” Lucy said.

“Is it time for my punishment now?”

Rogue and Sting gaped at Virgo. “Did she just ask to be _punished_?” Sting whispered to Rogue. He nodded in reply.

“No thanks,” Lucy said.

“Princess, I brought both you and Sir Rogue a change of clothes from the Celestial Spirit World,” Virgo said.

“Oh wow, thanks so much!” Lucy said.

“They’re getting closer!” Natsu said.

“Let’s hurry and get in the hole!” Sting said.

“Virgo, can you lead us?” Lucy asked.

“Yes. let’s go,” Virgo said, grabbing ahold of Lucy and jumping in the hole.

“Maybe that’s a sign that we should fly you guys down?” Lector said.

“Yeah. Let’s go,” Sting said, and Lector grabbed him and followed Lucy and Virgo.

“Frosch are you ready?” Rogue asked Frosch.

“If Rogue is ready, then I’m ready!” Frosch replied.

“Let’s go Happy!” Natsu said.

“Aye, sir!”

The two of them followed Sting into the hole. As soon as Natsu landed, he heard a rustling coming from in front of him. He lit a small fire with his magic and saw that Lucy was busy changing into her clothes.

“Put that fire out, you pyro!” Lucy told him.

“Calm down. I’m trying to look at the tunnel.” Natsu pushed past her and walked ahead.

“Here you go, sir Rogue,” Virgo said, handing Rogue his change of clothes.

“Thank you. I deeply appreciate this.” Rogue began pulling on the fresh clothing.

“Princess, I must take my leave. Here,” Virgo handed Lucy a fleuve d’étoiles, “please use this to conserve your magic energy.”

“Thank you. I will,” Lucy said.

“Until next time.” Virgo vanished, leaving Lucy with Natsu, Sting, and a fully-dressed Rogue, alongside Happy, Lector, and Frosch.

“I can see the layout of the tunnel now,” Natsu said. “Come on, before they follow us.”

“Lucy, you go in front of me, since your magic is low,” Rogue said.

“It’s okay,” she said.

“You used up what magic you recovered when you summoned Virgo. And I’m still recovering mine.”

Lucy smiled. “Okay. You have a point.”

As Natsu led the way, Happy, Lector, and Frosch flew alongside them. Lucy and Rogue were quiet as they walked. Only Sting was making noise.

“Hey Natsu? Think we can hurry it up a bit? I think they’re following us.”

“We’ve reached the end of the tunnel. Let’s go,” Natsu said.

Happy, Lector and Frosch grabbed Lucy and flew out into the open air. Natsu followed after them, followed by Rogue and lastly Sting. They took off running through the woods.

“Where are we going?” Lucy asked him.

“You’ll see!” Natsu said, grinning.

“I feel like I’m gonna regret hearing that,” Lucy said.

“You’re not gonna beat me there, Natsu!” Sting yelled, and pushed himself to run harder.

 _This is just one of the things I like about you_ , Rogue thought, watching Sting run ahead, before following him.


	13. the promise I made

“Will they be okay?” Natsu asked.

“With some rest, they should be just fine,” Wendy said.

“That’s great,” Sting said. He sat beside Rogue’s bed, where he was resting peacefully.

“But Lucy… she had used so much of her magic trying to help us, not to mention they drained her magic before we got there,” Natsu said.

“She’ll be okay with some rest.” Wendy looked up at Natsu. “Luckily she didn’t have any severe injuries.”

Natsu grit his teeth together. “I’m going to make them pay for hurting Lucy.”

“You don’t even know who your enemy is,” Master Makarov said from the doorway.

“Gramps!”

Makarov looked at Lucy and Rogue, who were resting in their respective beds. The look of sadness on his face was easily readable; he sighed deeply and turned away. “Everyone is upstairs waiting. We need to discuss our next plan of action.”

“I’m not going to leave Lucy!” Natsu said angrily.

“Natsu! She’ll be fine. We need to be a part of this discussion,” Sting said.

Natsu clenched his fist. He hated to admit it, but Sting was right. They knew where the enemies’ current hideout was and could help in the battle. He stood up and looked over at Lucy. _I’ll be back soon, Lucy, I promise._

“We’ll stay here with Lucy and Rogue,” Happy said. He looked over at an upset Frosch. “Frosch is worried about Rogue, so he was going to stay anyways.”

“Okay, you guys keep an eye on them,” Natsu told him. He walked out of the door to the infirmary, with Wendy and Carla behind him. Sting looked back at Lector.

“We’ll be back in a few minutes, Lector,” he told his Exceed.

“No problem. You can count on us to keep Lucy and Rogue safe,” Lector told him.

Sting grinned and walked out of the infirmary. As the door shut behind him, he saw Natsu waiting for him in the hall. He dropped his grin and gave him a serious look. “Cut the crap. You like Lucy, don’t you?”

Natsu looked away toward the stairs. “Guess it’s that obvious, isn’t it? But what about you?”

“What?”

“You like Rogue, don’t you?”

Sting looked down at the ground. “Yeah. And before you say anything, the reason I haven’t said anything to him is that I’m afraid he doesn’t like me back.”

“Same here.” Natsu began walking down the hall toward the stairs. “Do you have any plans to tell him?”

“No.”

As they walked down the hallway together, Natsu could hear the sounds of loud talking and laughter coming from the guild hall. They stopped just short of the steps. Natsu looked ahead and clenched his fist.

“If they decide not to do anything, you’re heading out with me right?” he asked Sting.

“Yes. We need to get revenge for our friends, and if no one helps us, we’ll do it ourselves,” he agreed.

Sting walked up the stairs and entered the guild hall, Natsu behind him. Everyone fell silent. Gray and Erza came and met them. Sting greeted them silently, but Natsu kept his head down. His only concern right then was Lucy.

“It’s about time you two made your way up here,” Gajeel said.

“Master has orders for us,” Erza said.

“Yes. I’ve decided to send some of you out to battle. The rest will stay here and protect the guild. I’ve decided this is what is best,” Makarov said.

“Sir, I’m not a member of Fairy Tail - ” Sting started to say.

“I know. Which is why I’m letting you decide who from your guild goes with you on this mission along with my children,” Makarov told him.

Yukino stepped forward and put her hand on Sting’s shoulder. “I’m staying behind to help protect Fairy Tail. Rufus and Orga both agreed. Fairy Tail is strong, and without their main fighters here, they’re going to need more people here to protect Lucy and Rogue.”

“Yukino…” Sting started to argue but realized she was right. “You’ve got a point there.”

“Alongside Sting, I’m sending Natsu, Gajeel, Erza, Gray, and Juvia. The rest will stay here and help the guild stay on the defensive.”

“I’ll give each one of you a card to communicate with us, and we’ll have Warren use his telepathy to keep us in contact,” Cana said.

Natsu crossed his arms. His only goal was revenge for Lucy. But he realized that he might need to rely on Fairy Tail for help. They cared about Lucy as much as him.

“Natsu, you and Sting know where their hideout is. I’d like you two to lead the group there,” Makarov said.

“Yes sir,” Natsu said. He turned and headed toward the guild’s doors.

“Where are you headed Natsu?” Erza called after him.

“There’s someplace I got to go before we leave.”

Sting watched as he walked out of the guild. He turned back to Makarov. “When do we leave?”

“At nightfall.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure Natsu is back by then,” Sting said, and ran out after Natsu. He saw the pink-haired dragon slayer heading down the road towards Lucy’s apartment and ran to catch up with him. “Natsu!”

Natsu turned to look at him. “You followed me?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I have two places to go. But it won’t be long.”

Sting looked at him and nodded. As they went to enter Lucy’s apartment, Happy and Lector came flying up to them.

“Natsu! We just heard that you guys were getting ready to set out on a mission!” Happy said.

“You guys weren’t planning to leave without us, were you?” Lector asked.

“What about Frosch?” Sting asked.

“Rogue is awake now, so he said he'd be okay.” Lector closed his wings and landed beside Sting. “So we decided to come along with you guys.”

“Wait, Rogue is awake now?!” Sting yelled.

“Is Lucy awake too?!” Natsu asked.

“Lucy’s still out of it. Wendy said she’d stay with her and try to heal her,” Happy said.

Natsu’s face fell. _She’s still not awake. She must be regaining her strength unless something is wrong with her._

“Let’s go,” Natsu said. He pushed open the doors to Lucy’s apartment. Before he could head up to Lucy’s apartment, her landlady stopped him. He didn’t say anything while he looked at her.

“Miss Lucy isn’t home,” she told Natsu.

“I know. I want to do something real quick,” he said. “I’ll only be five minutes.”

Lucy’s landlady narrowed her eyes. “Five minutes.”

Natsu walked up the stairs to Lucy’s apartment and opened the door. He stood in her front room for a moment before heading over to her desk. He saw her story laying on it, and thought back to the last night Lucy was here, the night before they went to work at Yajima’s restaurant.

*****

_“So where are you headed Natsu?” Sting asked him as they headed down the street._

_“I’m stopping by Lucy’s.”_

_“Why?” Rogue asked, eyes wide._

_“Because he loooooves her!” Happy said._

_Natsu’s face turned pink. “No, I don’t! I just want to make sure she’s okay before heading home.”_

_“So you_ do _love her,” Sting said, grinning._

_“You guys want to come with me or not?” Natsu asked._

_“I’m in,” Gray said from behind them._

_“Have you been following us?” Natsu asked._

_“I’m only coming along because I’m worried about Lucy. You could show a little more concern for her as well.”_

_Natsu looked down at the ground. “I_ am _concerned for her.”_

_“You sure have a funny way of showing it.”_

_Natsu stopped outside Lucy’s apartment. “She knows I’m worried about her.”_

_“So Natsu, how do you plan on getting in?” Happy asked him._

_“We can go in through her door,” Gray said. “I got her spare key from Mira.”_

_As they entered Lucy’s apartment, Sting looked around and spotted her desk with her writing on it. “What is that on her desk?”_

_“Oh, it’s some story she’s been writing,” Natsu said. “She’s been secretive about it.”_

_Sting picked up the papers and sat down on a chair. Lector came over to him, followed by Rogue and Frosch._

_“You’re not going to read her work, are you?” Rogue asked him._

_“Why not?”_

_“She might not like that.” Rogue watched as Lector and Frosch joined Happy on Lucy’s bed. “She may not even like the fact that we’re in her apartment without her permission.”_

_“I come in here all the time,” Natsu said, shrugging._

_“Again, she may not like us coming in here without her permission.”_

_“Where did Gray go to?” Natsu asked._

_“He went into the bathroom,” Happy said._

_As they all sat there talking, they didn’t hear the door open. Natsu, Sting, and Rogue were each doing their own little thing until Lucy spoke out._

_“My room!”_

_“I told you guys she wouldn’t be too pleased,” Rogue said._

_“I said so too!” Frosch said._

_“What are you guys doing here?” Lucy asked._

_“We wanted to make sure you were okay before we headed to our inn for the night,” Sting told her._

_“Yeah, you’ve been out of it all day. We want to be sure you’re okay,” Gray said, coming out of her bathroom in his underwear._

_“Put on your clothes!” Lucy cried out, throwing a chair at him._

_“Dammit!”_

_“It seems like she’s okay, can we leave?” Happy asked._

_“Hey Lucy, you can’t write a story and leave us hanging. When are you going to write more?” Sting asked. He held up the story Lucy had been writing on._

_“Hey, let me read it,” Rogue asked._

_“That’s mine!” she said, yanking it away from Sting._

_As they sat and talked, Natsu watched Lucy’s face go from scared and upset to calm and happy. And he’d never forget the promise he made her that night._

_“If anyone tries to hurt you, they’ll pay for it.”_

*****

“I made you a promise that night, Lucy,” Natsu said. “And I’m going to keep it.”

He walked over to her desk, where her story sat. He touched the papers, which had new words joining them. _She added what happened to her to her story,_ Natsu thought. He looked out her window and down onto the street, where Sting, Lector, and Happy were waiting for him. He walked toward the door and opened it. He looked back at her empty apartment.

“I swear, Lucy, when this is over I’m going to tell you how I feel,” Natsu said with determination. He closed the door behind him and headed downstairs to meet up with Sting, Lector, and Happy.

“Are you done?” Sting asked him.

“Yeah. Let’s go back to Fairy Tail, I want to see Lucy before we leave,” Natsu said. “We can see Rogue too.”

“Yeah. We can see Rogue and Lucy before we leave,” Lector said.

“Maybe Rogue can give us some info about the people that were there before we bailed them out,” Sting said.

 _Maybe Lucy will be awake,_ Natsu thought to himself. “Let’s go. We should go see them before we leave tonight.” Natsu headed back up the street toward Fairy Tail, Happy, Sting and Lector following him.


	14. decisions

“Hey. How are you feeling?” Natsu asked.

Lucy sat up. She was in the infirmary, again. “I’m doing okay.”

“That’s good. Gramps has a mission for us, and we’re about to head out.”

“You mean you’re going back there? That’s crazy!” Lucy cried out.

“Don’t worry. He hand-picked the strongest members of the guild to go.” Natsu sat down in a chair beside her bed.

Lucy looked over at Rogue’s bed and noticed it was empty. “Where’s Rogue?”

“He and Sting are outside.”

“Oh.” _Should I tell him my feelings now?_ Lucy thought to herself.

“Lucy, I…” Natsu whispered. She didn’t hear him.

Out in the hallway, Sting and Rogue were waiting to go back in. With his exceptional hearing, Sting had heard Natsu’s whisper. _You have got to speak louder if you want to be heard, Natsu._

“So I guess… you’re going too?” Rogue asked Sting.

“Yeah. Yukino, Rufus, and Orga will be staying here to help defend Fairy Tail.”

Rogue and Sting avoided looking at each other. _Man, have we ever been this awkward around each other?_ Sting thought to himself.

“Promise me you’ll be safe,” Rogue said.

“What?”

“Those men… you saw what they did to Lucy and me. They’re incredibly dangerous. We can’t have you guys getting imprisoned as well. There’s no way that we’ll be able to win then.”

Sting looked at his friend. “I can’t make any promises. But I will promise you that I’ll come back.”

Rogue lowered his head. He had doubted Sting. _How could I have ever had doubts about Sting?_

“Wonder what’s keeping Natsu?” Sting said.

Rogue smiled. “Leave him be. It’s something that we shouldn’t interrupt. You two are about to go out on a dangerous mission.”

Sting lowered his head. “Yeah.” _When I come back, I’ll tell him._

“I think I should go and lay back down,” Rogue said. “I’m tired.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sting said. He pushed himself up off the wall and stretched. “I need to get Natsu, anyways.”

As they walked back into the infirmary, they saw Natsu standing by a sleeping Lucy. Rogue made his way to his bed while Sting walked up to Natsu.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah. I’m ready,” Natsu said. He turned and headed toward the door to the infirmary. He put his hand on the knob and turned to look at Rogue. “Take care of Lucy while we’re gone.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” Rogue said.

After Natsu and Sting left, Rogue looked over at Lucy and smiled. “You can stop pretending now.”

Lucy sat up in her bed. “Are you worried?” she asked him.

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Rogue got up and walked over to sit by Lucy. He wasn’t lying when he had told Sting that he was tired, but he wanted to talk to Lucy. His body hurt with every step; the draining of his magic had hurt him more than he first thought.

“Did you talk to Sting?” Lucy asked, looking up at him.

“Yeah. I didn’t have the heart to tell him right now,” Rogue said. “When he comes back, I’ll tell him though.”

“Yeah. You should tell him. He obviously has feelings for you too, and deserves to know how you feel,” Lucy said softly.

Rogue blushed. “You think Sting likes me?”

“Yeah. I mean, it shows on his face when he looks at you that he cares about you greatly. And you obviously care about him a great deal.” Lucy looked at him and gave him a small smile. “You shouldn’t be afraid to tell him how you feel.”

“If I could walk, I’d run and tell him now,” Rogue laughed. “I’m honestly still too weak to even be up and moving around.”

“I know, me too.”

“So when are you going to talk to Natsu?”

“When he gets back.” Lucy looked down at her hands. “He has more things to worry about right now.”

“Yeah,” Rogue said. “But I can tell that Natsu cares deeply for you too. He obviously would do anything for you, no matter how dangerous.”

Lucy nodded and wiped away a tear. _Rogue is right. Natsu_ does _care about me._

Rogue stood up. “I’m going to go lay back down. I’ll be across the room if you need me.”

“Okay,” Lucy said. She looked down at her right hand, which had her Fairy Tail guild mark on it, and smiled. She held up her finger and thumb in Fairy Tail’s sign and held it up. Rogue looked at her funny.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“It’s a thing we do in Fairy Tail,” she explained. “We do this to signify that even if we can’t see someone, no matter how far apart we may be, we’ll always be watching over them. It’s part of what makes us such a great guild.”

Rogue thought over what she said and smiled. He then held up his hand and made the Fairy Tail sign. _Sting, even if I can’t see you, no matter how far apart we may be, I’ll always be watching over you._


	15. the man from the shadows

“Natsu, aim your barf blaster somewhere else,” Gray said.

“I’m trying but it’s getting pretty hard to aim,” Natsu said.

“Ew!” Juvia exclaimed. “Gajeel, get off of me!”

“This has to be the worst team assignment ever,” Happy said.

“We’re getting close - *blurgh* - I can smell it,” Natsu said.

“We should go the rest of the way on foot,” Erza said. She went to tap the carriage driver on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir. We’d like to get out here, if possible.”

Their driver slowed to a stop. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, sir. Everyone, let’s go!” Erza said.

As they all climbed out, Sting looked around them. He remembered the road they were on from when he and Natsu went to save Lucy and Rogue. He could even smell the location of the building that they had been held in.

“It’s close by,” Sting said.

“Yeah. We should be careful out here,” Natsu said.

“Okay. Here’s our proposed plan of action,” Erza said. “We’ll split up into three groups. Gray, you and Juvia go in through the back. Gajeel and I will go through the front.”

“Wait, what about Sting and me?” Natsu asked.

“You two will wait in the woods with Happy and Lector. They’ve seen you two before, and will more than likely have you two targeted.” Erza looked up at them. “When the noise dies down from inside, that’ll be your cue to enter.”

“Right!” Natsu and Sting said together.

“Let’s go!”

They began running through the woods, paired off in their respective groups. Sting caught up to Natsu, who had been the first of them to start running toward their destination.

“So we’re going to get revenge for our friends today,” Sting called out to him.

“Yeah. They messed with the wrong people when they hurt Lucy and Rogue,” Natsu said. “We’re going to make them pay for what they did.”

“Oh really, dragon slayer?” someone said from in front of them. “You’re going to make us ‘pay’ for something we did?”

Natsu and Sting stopped running. Happy and Lector, who were flying behind them, stopped a little ways behind them and listened in.

“Who are you?” Sting called out.

“You don’t need to know who I am just yet. But I know who _you_ are, ‘White Dragon’ Sting Eucliffe, and Natsu ‘Salamander’ Dragneel.”

“Quit messing around and tell us who you are!” Natsu yelled. His fists ignited.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the man said, disappearing into the shadows.

“Dammit!” Natsu yelled, punching a nearby tree. “Who was he? He talked like he knew us.”

“He must be from that place where Lucy and Rogue were held,” Lector said. “If we keep going forward, we’ll run into him again.”

“You guys also have a chance of getting captured,” Happy said.

“We’ll just take that chance head-on,” Natsu said. “Let’s go. We need to catch up with the others.”

“Yeah,” Sting said. He followed Natsu, and they soon caught up with Erza, Gray, Juvia, and Gajeel.

“What was all that commotion back there, Natsu?” Erza asked.

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Natsu said.

“So this is the place?” Gray said. He looked at the building, a Gothic-style castle. “Looks ancient.”

“Smells ancient, too,” Gajeel said.

“Yeah. This is the place,” Natsu said.

“Okay. remember the plan,” Erza said.

They split up, Gray and Juvia heading to the back of the building and Gajeel and Erza head for the front of the building. Natsu and Sting watched and waited from the edge of the woods with Happy, Lector, and Pantherlily.

“So Lily, why didn’t you go with Gajeel?” Happy asked.

“I decided to stay out here with you guys and lend a hand when it’s your turn to enter,” he answered. He sat down on a tree branch. “You guys hear that? They’re inside.”

Sting listened closely. He could hear the sounds of fighting: yelling, crashing and screaming. He sat down on the ground. “We’ll be here a while.”

“Au contraire, White Dragon Sting,” came a voice from behind him.

Sting felt as if he had been covered in ice. He bolted up and turned around. “Who are you?!”

“I’m the one who possessed your friend Lucy Heartfilia with my Shadow Magic,” the man said.

Pantherlily transformed into his battle form and drew his sword, _Musica_ . “So _you’re_ the one who possessed Lucy?”

Natsu erupted in flames fueled by his anger. “I’m going to make you pay!”

“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen,” the man said. He snapped his fingers, and thin ropes began winding their way around Natsu and Sting. “You two are coming back with me.”

“Hey! What are you planning on doing with them?” Pantherlily asked.

“Nothing that concerns you,” the man replied. “Weren’t there three of you cats here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Pantherlily yelled.

Natsu looked around in concern. _Happy! Where are you?_

 _Lector, wherever you are, stay safe!_ Sting thought.

The mysterious man tossed Sting and Natsu aside. “So are you going to fight me then, cat?”

 _I need to buy time for Happy and Lector to find one of the others,_ Pantherlily thought. He gripped his sword. “Yes. I will fight you.”

“Brave words, coming from a shape-shifting cat,” the man said. “After I’m done here with you, I’ll find your friends.”

“No, you won’t!” Pantherlily lunged out at the man with his sword but missed. He received a hard blow to his stomach and instantly reverted to his smaller form.

“Well, that didn’t take long,” the man said. “What was your name again?”

Pantherlily struggled to stand. He glared at the man before him.

“Well. Know that Gabe from the Black Phoenix Guild was the man who defeated you. I’ll be taking Sting Eucliffe and Natsu Dragneel now. They’ll prove useful to us in the future.” Gabe picked up Sting and Natsu and disappeared.

“Lily!” Happy called out. He flew toward him, Gray and Juvia behind him. “Where’s Natsu and Sting?”

“They’re gone. He took them. I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect them,” Pantherlily said.

“What’s going on?” Erza said. She and Gajeel appeared behind Lector.

“Where’s Sting?” Lector asked.

“He and Natsu were kidnapped,” Happy said. He had tears in his eyes.

“We need to retreat and come up with another plan. Happy, Lector, you guys, help Lily! Let’s hurry back to the guild!” Erza said.

“Right!” Juvia said.

Gray knelt down to Happy and Lector, who were both crying. “Hey, listen. I know you two are sad about Sting and Natsu, but we need your help right now.”

Happy sniffled. “You’re right.”

“I hope they’re safe,” Lector said.

Pantherlily stood up shakily and spread out his wings. Happy and Lector stood on either side and helped support him as they rose into the air.

“You’re talking about Natsu and Sting,” Gajeel said. “The bastards that got them will regret it soon enough.”


	16. team

"We failed, Master," Erza said. "Natsu and Sting were both taken by that dark guild."

"Don't worry. We'll get them back," Makarov said. He gripped his mug tightly.

"Their hideout was empty, sir. No trace of anyone that could've been there. They all must've left after Natsu and Sting saved Lucy and Rogue."

"Speaking of Lucy and Rogue, how are they taking the news?" Makarov asked.

"We haven't told them yet," Erza said. "We don't know how to tell them."

"I should tell Lucy," Happy said. His voice was trembling. "Do you know where she is, Master?"

"Last I saw, her and Rogue were in the library. He wanted to look up something about shadow magic."

"Okay. I'll go there now," Happy said. He turned and began to fly toward the guild's library. Lector joined him.

"I have to tell Rogue about Sting!" Lector sniffled. "He might be the only one who can save them!"

As they flew towards the library, they mulled over ways to tell Lucy and Rogue about Natsu and Sting being abducted. They knew that Lucy and Rogue would be upset to find out about them. They flew into the library and were greeted by Lucy.

"Happy! Lector! I didn't know you guys were back!" she said. "How did it go?"

Happy's lower lip trembled. "It didn't go well. Natsu, he… he and Sting were captured by that dark guild, Black Phoenix!"

"What? Both of them?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

"That's impossible!" Rogue exclaimed. He stood up and closed the book he was reading. "I'm going after them."

"But you don't even know where they are!" Lector told him. "Plus you're still healing. You need to finish getting better before you go rushing into battle!"

"I'm well enough that I can fight," Rogue told him.

"Wait! There are spells in this book you may be able to incorporate," Lucy said, looking over her wind reading glasses at him. She turned the book around and pointed at a set group of Shadow Magic spells. Rogue could barely make out what the words said.  _How was Lucy able to read all of this?_

"How could you  _understand_  this?" Rogue asked her. "I can't make any of this out!"

Lucy handed a pair of wind reading glasses to Rogue. "Try these."

He looked at the black framed glasses before putting them on. Suddenly, the shadow magic spells were clear and began flowing into his head. He quickly pulled off the glasses and stared at them. "What the hell…"

"Trust me, it takes some getting used to," Lucy said calmly. "But once you do, they're easier to manage."

"Okay," Rogue said, nodding slowly. He slipped them back on and began reading again.  _This magic she found, it's got to do with possession. I can't do that!_

As he read the spells and tried to memorize them, Lucy turned to Happy and Lector, who was still upset over Natsu and Sting. She gave them both a smile. "Hey, don't worry. We'll get both Natsu and Sting back. They're probably giving them hell right now as we speak!"

"You're right!" Lector said. "There's no way Sting would let someone get the best of him!"

"Natsu wouldn't take any crap lying down, either!" Happy said.

They sat down on the table and tried to dry their eyes. Rogue finished reading the book and took off the wind reading glasses. He looked over at Lucy and nodded. "I think I got them memorized."

"Awesome," she told him.

"I need a break, though. That drained me," he said.

"Hi, you guys," Wendy said, coming in through the doorway. She had Carla with her. "You weren't in the infirmary, so I thought I'd check here. I guess you both are feeling better now?"

"Yeah, definitely," Lucy told her. "All thanks to you."

"Rogue!" Frosch called out, flying toward his companion.

"Frosch, where have you been?" Rogue asked.

"I fell asleep." The Exceed looked over and saw Happy and Lector sitting on the table between Rogue and Lucy. "Lector, Happy!"

"Yo, Frosch! How are you doing, bud?" Lector called out to his friend.

"I'm doing good!" Frosch said, hopping up on the table with his friends.

"Has Master decided what to do yet about getting Sting and Natsu back?" Lucy asked.

Wendy shook her head. "He's still trying to figure out what to do."

Rogue stood up. "I'm going to go get them back."

"Fro too!" Frosch said.

"Well, if you're going then I guess I'll go," Lucy said. She looked over at Happy and Lector. "What about you two?"

"Well, of course, we're going! We gotta save Natsu and Sting!" Lector said.

"You all are completely crazy," Carla said.

"Well count me in too!" Wendy said. "I can still provide support during battle!"

"What are you all doing, making plans to leave?" Gray said from the doorway. He walked into the library followed by Erza, Juvia, Gajeel, and Pantherlily.

"We, uh…" Lucy searched for a good excuse.

"We're coming too. I have a feeling this will be a good test of our strength as friends. Rogue, I think your friends from Sabertooth should come too," Erza said.

"Um, I…" he stammered.

"We had already planned on it," Yukino said, appearing in the library with Orga and Rufus. "They have our master. We can't just sit idly by while he's gone."

Rogue and Lucy looked at the gathering of their friends in the guild's library. There was nothing they could do. They had all made up their minds that they were going to do this. Rogue stood up and turned toward everyone.

"If we're going to rescue Natsu and Sting, we need to start mapping out our route," Rogue said. "Everyone, get a map and get to work."


	17. recapture

“Hey Natsu,” Sting said weakly.

“Yo.”

“When we get out of this, let’s fight.”

Natsu looked in the direction of Sting’s voice. “Deal.”

A few minutes passed, and Natsu spoke up. “They wanted us for something.”

“Oh, really? I didn't know that,” Sting said sarcastically.

“They got Lucy and Rogue, and us. Three dragon slayers and a celestial spirit wizard,” Natsu continued. He struggled against his restraints.

“Wait, so you think that whatever they’re after, it has to do with us dragon slayers and Lucy and Yukino?” Sting asked.

“Yeah, and the treatment will be the same no matter who they get.” Natsu wriggled around in his cuffs. “Think we got enough strength to break these things?”

“Only one way to find out.”

“It’s useless to try,” someone said from outside Natsu’s cell. He looked over and saw Zeref standing there, his eyes an angry red. “Those restraints are unbreakable.”

“What do you need us for?” Natsu asked.

“Just a simple project of mine, nothing more,” Zeref said. “I just need magic from your other three friends, and then it’ll be complete.”

Sting racked his brain, doing the quick math. “But there are four other dragon slayers besides Rogue and us.”

“I’m talking about your friends Gajeel Redfox, Wendy Marvell, and Yukino Aguria.” Zeref walked over to stand in front of Sting’s cell. “After we get them, and recapture Rogue Cheney and Lucy Heartfilia, I think we can get started on the end of my project.”

“Don’t you _dare_ hurt Lucy again!” Natsu yelled.

Zeref looked over at him. “I already have a plan in motion to recapture her and Rogue. However, I have yet to set my plan in motion to capture the remaining Celestial Spirit Wizard, the Sky Dragon Slayer, and the Iron Dragon Slayer.”

Natsu glared at Zeref through the bars on his cell. “When will you tell us what your little _project_ is?” he asked him.

“In due time. Right now I must take my leave. You will be reunited with your friends soon, Natsu Dragneel and Sting Eucliffe.” Zeref turned away from them and disappeared.

“I’m tired of being kept in a cage like an animal,” Natsu said furiously.

“Okay, so what are you going to do?” Sting asked him.

“What a Fairy Tail wizard is best known for: I’m going to destroy the whole damn thing!” 

 

* * *

 

 “Hey Rogue?”

Rogue turned to look at Lucy, who was taking a break from poring over a map. Everyone else had already gone home, and Master Makarov had allowed Rogue and Lucy to bring a few maps back to Lucy’s apartment. Frosch, Lector, and Happy were all asleep on Lucy’s bed, and she had made them both a cup of tea.

“Yeah?”

“What’s this little place right here?” she asked, pointing at a location on the map she had in her lap. “Is it on one of the maps you have?”

Rogue shuffled through the maps he had. He found another plan that was close to the one Lucy had and began looking at it. “It’s on here too. It’s a little ways away from where we were held, but it’s a viable location for a new hideout.”

“Do you think they’re being held there? Natsu and Sting?” Lucy asked.

“It’s highly likely. The question is, how are we going to get there? It requires us crossing over a river, and there’s no bridge listed on the map.” Rogue searched over the other maps for a bridge. “Wait, here’s one, but it’s highly unlikely they used it due to it being so far away from the building.”

“Aren’t you a smart one.”

Rogue stood up and pushed Lucy behind him. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

A man came out of the shadows. “Calm down. I’m only here on Zeref’s order to ask you to come with me.”

“We have no plans of coming with you,” Lucy said. She pulled out her fleuve d’étoiles. “And if you even try to force us, we’re prepared to fight.”

“Oh really? Well, the way I see it, you have two options: either come with me quietly, or I’ll make you come with me.”

Rogue turned to look at Lucy. “Take Frosch, Lector, and Happy and get out of here. Hurry!”

“I can’t leave you to fight him alone!” she told him.

“I can manage! Just go!”

Lucy ran over to her bed and scooped up the three snoozing Exceeds. “Be careful, Rogue, he seems powerful,” Lucy told him. “Also, please try not to wreck my apartment.”

“I’ll do my best.”

The man pulled out a cigarette. “Aw, come on. It’s no fun when it’s just one-on-one.”

“Sorry, but you’re just gonna have to deal with it!” Rogue said. _I can’t fight in Lucy’s apartment, there’s not enough room,_ he thought. _If only we were outside, it’d make everything easier._

“Well, if I can’t take both of you back, I can always take one of you. Although I have to say, Lord Zeref won’t be too pleased about it.”

Rogue went to attack the man but found he couldn’t move. _What the… I can’t move! What’s going on here?_

“You’re probably wondering why you can’t move. I used my shadow possession magic on you. Your movements are now under my control,” the man said. He started walking forward, and Rogue began walking toward him.

“Lucy, get out of here! Let him take me!” Rogue said.

“But I can’t leave you here by yourself!” she told him, her hand on the door to her apartment.

“Just _go_!” Rogue turned to look at her and gave her a small smile. “I’ll be sure to say hi to Natsu for you.”

Lucy smiled weakly and edged her way out. She ran down the stairs and out of the building with Lector, Frosch, and Happy in her arms.

 


	18. Zeref's plan

“Now tell us what happened that you got yourself caught,” Sting said.

“They wanted both me and Lucy. I told Lucy to take Happy, Lector and Frosch, and run, and let them take me. The guy that caught me had weird shadow magic. I couldn’t move. So here I am again.” Rogue collapsed against the back of his cell. “Why does Zeref need us?”

“He’s got some sort of project he needs us and Lucy and Yukino for,” Sting said. “Whatever it is, I don’t like the idea of being a tool for him.”

“Bring them in here,” a male guard’s voice said. The three of them went quiet. “They can have a cell together.”

They watched as Lucy and Yukino were tossed into a cell. Their hands and ankles were tied together. Happy, Lector, and Frosch, who were all tied together, followed them not long after.

“I thought you said she got away!” Natsu yelled at Rogue.

“She _did_! I don’t know what happened after they got me!” he yelled back.

“Don’t blame him, Natsu,” Lucy said. She sat up. “They had someone waiting. I didn’t know.”

Natsu slumped against the back wall of his cell. _Are we underestimating them?_

“What about Yukino?” Sting asked. “How did they get her?”

“She came to check on me, so they got us at the same time.” Lucy sighed and fought back tears. “My carelessness caused Rogue and us to get caught. I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be like that.” Natsu looked over towards where her voice was coming from. “It’s not your fault at all.”

As they were talking, they saw a man walk in front of their cells. Everyone fell silent as he passed. “So you said something about Zeref needing us and Lucy and Yukino for something,” Rogue said to Sting.

“Yeah. By my count, they only need to get Gajeel and Wendy, and then whatever they’re planning can be underway.”

The male guard walked by in front of their cells again, and they went silent. A few minutes later, Zeref followed him and stopped outside of Natsu’s cell. He glared at him with red, angry eyes.

“Natsu Dragneel.”

Natsu stood up in his cell and grabbed the bars. “Zeref.”

“I think I’ll take you first. You seem to be the one with the most magic power.”

Natsu’s cell door unlocked and a pair of magic-blocking handcuffs appeared on his wrists. He braced himself inside his cell.

“Please move the Shadow Dragon Slayer and the White Dragon Slayer into their own cell. Leave the two Celestial Spirit wizards in their current cells,” Zeref said. He turned and began walking away. “And bring the Fire Dragon Slayer with us.”

Natsu turned to look at Rogue, who was being ushered into Sting’s cell. Lucy and Yukino, who had just woken up, both stared wide-eyed at Natsu. _Our safety depends on us obeying Zeref’s every order. If I don’t agree with him, it’s all over. Dammit!_

Natsu walked out of his cell quietly with a guard on each side. He glared at Zeref’s back as he followed him down the stairs. The tension between them increased with each step, and the stairs finally opened out onto the main room. Zeref sat down at the head of a long table.

“Please, Natsu, sit,” Zeref said, motioning to a chair at the other end.

“I’d rather stand, thanks,” Natsu said.

“No, please sit. I insist.”

Natsu flopped down in the chair and stared at the dark wizard. “Okay, so what is it you wanted me for?”

“To tell you my plan,” Zeref smirked.

“Why are you telling me? I thought you were going to tell all of us.”

“I thought I said that I was going to tell you once we got everyone?” Zeref said. He leaned against his hand.

“No, you did not. Besides, you don’t have everyone. You’re still missing two dragon slayers,” Natsu pointed out to him.

“Oh yes, Gajeel and Wendy. They should be arriving soon.”

Natsu’s mouth dropped open. “You mean you got them?”

“Oh yes, it was very easy. Wendy wouldn’t put up a fight. Gajeel, however, I will say did quite the opposite.”

“What the hell are you playing at? Why did you need us?” Natsu yelled. The chair he was sitting in slammed to the floor as he stood up. “You obviously have something up your sleeve.”

“I’m going to use the power of the first generation dragon slayers and the Celestial Spirit wizards to create a Celestial Dragon.”

“A Celestial Dragon?” Natsu asked. “So that’s why you wanted us?”

“Yes.” Zeref stood up and walked around to where Natsu was standing. “And now that I have all of you, my plan will come to fruition very soon.”

Natsu growled. “If you hurt any of us, especially Wendy, Lucy, and Yukino, I’ll make you pay!”

“No promises.” Zeref turned to the guards behind Natsu. “Please escort him back to his cell.”

“Yes, sir!” The guards grabbed Natsu by the arms and began pulling him toward the door. “Don’t bother fighting us; we’re prepared to use force on you.”

Natsu grumbled as he allowed himself to be led back up to his cell. He saw Gajeel in his empty cell, and Wendy crying in Lucy and Yukino’s cell. He felt a shove from behind as one of the guards pushed him in. He turned around and looked at them. “Hey, what was that for?!”

“Hands,” the guard demanded. Natsu stuck his hands out, and the guard unlocked his handcuffs. “You all are to stay in here until we come back to get you.”

After the guards left, Lucy crawled over to Natsu. “So what happened?”

“He told me what he plans to do with us.”

“Yeah? And what is that?” Gajeel asked.

“He said something about creating a Celestial Dragon. He didn’t say much more about it than that he needed the first generation dragon slayers and the Celestial Spirit wizards to help make it.”

“Creating a dragon using our combined magic? That's impossible!” Sting said.

“There’s nothing we can do. He’s already captured us, we can only wait it out now,” Rogue said.

“Dammit!” Sting yelled.

“Getting mad isn’t going to help anything,” Yukino said. “We need to figure out what he could mean by Celestial Dragon.”

“I think we all should rest,” Wendy said. “It’s getting dark outside, which means that it’s almost nightfall.”

“Wendy has a point. Let’s all just rest for a bit. Maybe after we all have a bit more energy we can talk more,” Lucy said. She pointed a finger at Natsu. “And that includes you.”

“Okay, okay.”

As they all settled in for an uncomfortable night, Rogue mulled things over in his head. _A Celestial Dragon… how is this going to work?_


	19. the celestial dragon

“It’s almost complete.” Zeref stood up from his chair. He turned and looked at one of his men. “Can you go get me the Celestial wizard, Lucy Heartfilia, and the Shadow Dragon Slayer, Rogue Cheney?”

“As you wish, sir!” He quickly ran to the room where the dragon slayers and celestial wizards had been taken after having their magic drained.

Natsu, Sting, and Gajeel, although tired, were busy trying to think of a way to break out. Wendy was with Lucy and Yukino, and Rogue was looking out of the window.

“There’s got to be a way to open this damn door!” Natsu yelled.

“Well, why don’t you find one, Salamander?” Gajeel told him.

“I’m trying!”

A loud knock sounded on the door just then. Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting moved away quickly from the door and sat down.

“I’m here to get Lucy Heartfilia and Rogue Cheney!” the man said.

“What do you want with us?” Lucy asked.

“My Lord Zeref wants to talk with you. Please, follow me.”

Lucy stood and followed him. Rogue followed her but was stopped by Sting. “I have a feeling this is a mistake. Don’t go.”

“We can’t help it whether this is a mistake or not. This man, Zeref, he will kill us if we defy him. We have to go.”

Sting let go of him and watched Rogue go. Natsu’s flames flared up. “He better not do anything to our friends.”

“This is Zeref we’re talking about. There’s no telling what he’ll do.” Gajeel sat down on the floor. “But knowing him, he probably has some kind of diabolical plan up his sleeve.”

“Hopefully they’ll be okay,” Wendy said.

“We’ll just have to wait,” Yukino said. “Hopefully our friends are trying to come up with a plan to get us out of here.”

As they sat and thought about their friends, Lucy and Rogue were being led to Zeref. With each step, Lucy knew that meeting the Black Wizard would wield nothing good for her and her friends. She looked over at Rogue and noticed that he was stone-faced. She steadied her breathing and stood beside him as the door to where Zeref was waiting opened.

The man who guided them walked into the room and knelt before Zeref. “Lord Zeref, I’ve brought you the two you asked for: the Celestial Wizard, Lucy Heartfilia, and the Shadow Dragon Slayer, Rogue Cheney.”

“Thank you; you may be dismissed.” He waited for the man to leave before approaching Lucy and Rogue. “Please, sit.”

“What do you want us for?” Rogue asked.

“I’m sure you’re aware what I needed your magic for?” he asked them.

“Yeah, to create some kind of false dragon!” Lucy said. “A celestial dragon.”

“Yes. Only, the thing is, it’s still… _incomplete_.”

Lucy inwardly sighed. _It’s still incomplete,_ she thought to herself.

“Which is why I brought you two here. To make it complete.”

“What?” Lucy said.

“Having a celestial wizard and a dragon slayer in the celestial dragon will complete it. However, if you say no, I’ll get your friends and put them in the dragon.” Zeref gave them an evil smile. “And you know I would.”

Lucy grit her teeth. Next to her, Rogue had his fists clenched in anger. He shut his eyes and counted to ten. “Okay. We’ll do it. On the condition that you’ll let our friends go.”

“Deal.” Zeref turned to one of his henchmen beside him. “The other dragon slayers and the other celestial wizard, make sure they make it out of the building okay before they are strapped in,” he told him.

“Yes, sir.”

Zeref turned back to Lucy and Rogue. “Well, shall we get started?” he asked them.

“Yes,” Rogue said. Lucy nodded grimly.

Zeref led them over to where the celestial dragon was. It was larger than any other dragon they had seen before and was solid gold with a galaxy-like pattern on its stomach.

“So how do we get in there?” Lucy said quietly.

“I don’t know.” Rogue stared at the ground.

Zeref answered Lucy’s question: “Don’t worry. Just close your eyes, and when you wake up, you’ll be inside the dragon.”

Lucy felt her eyes getting heavy. She fell over and could’ve sworn she was supposed to hit the ground, but didn’t. She tried to move her arms and legs but found it difficult to do so. When she was finally able to open her eyes, she saw that her arms and legs were shackled to a large, galaxial orb. She tried to call out to Rogue, who was still unconscious and chained to a multi-colored sphere swirling with what looked like white, black, red, blue, and gray clouds. She realized it was the dragon slayers’ magics, and he was unconscious because he was the mind of the dragon.

“Why am I awake and Rogue is unconscious?” Lucy asked Zeref, who was watching them.

“Hmm… he should’ve woken up by now. He’ll be up soon. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’m up,” Rogue muttered. “So this is the inside of the celestial dragon? I thought it’d look different than this.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it supposed to be moving? Because if it does, I’ll get sick,” Rogue said.

“No, it’s staying still for right now,” Lucy assured him.

They stayed there in silence for awhile. Lucy kept thinking about what Zeref really wanted to do with this celestial dragon. It seems like a hassle to make, and even bigger trouble to mandate.

“Hey, do you see that down there, on the ground?” Rogue asked her suddenly.

Lucy craned her neck to look. She could barely see his flames. “It’s Natsu and everyone else!”

“They’re here to save us,” Rogue said. He smiled at her.

Outside the celestial dragon, Natsu looked up at Zeref. He launched himself toward him with his flames. “Give me back my friends!” he yelled angrily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated this series in awhile, and I'm sorry. I've had a lot going on. My updates on this series aren't going to be as frequent as they were. But I'm still hoping to update this series and maybe finish it. I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter :)


	20. escape from the dragon

Natsu propelled himself toward the dragon with his flames. He had to find some way to free Rogue and Lucy from Zeref’s clutches.

“Hey, Natsu, why’d you take off so fast and leave me behind?” Sting called out to him.

“I didn’t. I knew you’d follow me!”

They landed together on the nose of the dragon. Even though it had wings, they didn’t move. They looked inside and saw Rogue and Lucy being ushered out of a door at the back of the cockpit.

“Let’s break through the windshield,” Natsu said.

“I’m right there with you,” Sting said.

“How about you two just use the door, instead?” Zeref asked them cooly, his red eyes ablaze. “See, I put a lot of hard work into this dragon, and I don’t want it to be destroyed by you.”

Natsu stared down Zeref. “Whether it will be destroyed or not depends on how our friends are being treated.”

“I’ll lead you to them if you’d like.”

Natsu looked over at Sting, who nodded. Natsu walked toward Zeref and followed him inside the celestial dragon. He looked at his surroundings and noticed Sting was doing the same.

“Where’s Lucy and Rogue?” Natsu asked.

“Don’t worry, they’re perfectly safe,” Zeref told him. 

“Natsu, do you really believe what he is saying?” Sting asked.

“No. I want you to have someone to take Sting here to where they are so that he can get them,” Natsu said. “Meanwhile, you and I are going to have a little chat.”

Zeref called forth one of his henchmen and instructed him to show Sting to where Rogue and Lucy were being held. He stepped forward and motioned to Sting. “Follow me.”

“Sure thing.” Sting looked back at Natsu. “After I get Rogue and Lucy, we’re going to come back for you, got it?”

“Yeah. got it.”

After Sting left, Natsu glared at Zeref. “I want you to explain yourself. Right now.”

“Oh, but we aren’t destined to fight until much later,” Zeref said.

Sting followed the man down a long, cold hallway. After a few turns, he had the feeling that he was being observed and began to look behind him every few feet. At a fork in the hallway, the man stopped and turned to look at Sting.

“You’re going to join your friends down in their cells,” the man said. At each entryway, a person appeared.

“Like  _ hell _ , I will!” Sting yelled. “ _ White Dragon’s Claw _ !”

He attacked each man in turn, leaving a stigma on each of their chests. “That’ll leave you guys out of my way for a while.” He looked down and saw something shining at his feet; he leaned down and saw it was a key ring. “Well, well. What a nice little gift you guys left me.”

He grabbed the keys and ran down the hall to his right. Just by chance, it happened to be the hallway the cells were in. Rogue and Lucy came to the front of their cells and greeted him.

“I thought that was you I heard!” Rogue said.

“Is Natsu with you?” Lucy asked 

“Natsu is above with Zeref,” Sting said. He fumbled with the key ring while trying to unlock Rogue’s cell door. “Dammit, I can’t find the damn key!”

“Let me have it!” Rogue told him. Sting handed over the key ring, and Rogue easily found the correct key for his cell door. “Now how hard was that?”

“Stop being so damn smug!”

“Let’s get Lucy out, now,” Rogue said.

“Where’s the key to her cell door?” Sting asked.

After about ten minutes of trying, they couldn’t get any of the keys to open her cell door. Sting slumped against the cell in defeat. “Natsu’s gonna kill me.”

“I could try using one of my spirits,” Lucy said sheepishly.

“You mean you had your spirits all this time and didn’t use them?!” Rogue yelled. “We could’ve been free ages ago!”

“I know, I didn’t realize I had them on me though,” Lucy said. “Anyway, if I were you I’d step back.”  _ My best bet would be to use Taurus to try to cut through the cell. _ “Alright! Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!”

“Um, where is he?” Rogue asked.

“Oh, man, this cell must block all magic,” Lucy said.

“Then this calls for us!” Sting said. “Ready Rogue?”

“I’m ready, Sting.”

“I’m not ready!” Lucy yelped. She retreated to a corner and covered her eyes.

“ _ White Dragon’s -  _ ”

“ _ Shadow Dragon’s -  _ ”

“ _ Roar! _ ”

Debris from the cell flew everywhere as the door shattered; Lucy looked and saw Sting and Rogue standing in the open doorway where the cell door once stood.

“Maybe we overdid it a bit,” Sting said.

“You think?!” Lucy yelled.

“It came from this way!” a distant voice yelled.

“Oh shit, my stigma must have worn off!” Sting said.

“We need to find our way back to Natsu, and help him out!” Lucy said.

They heard a familiar voice coming toward them. They stopped and looked at each other before sighing.

“For some reason, I feel that finding Natsu won’t be our biggest problem,” Rogue said.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Natsu rounded a corner and waved at them. “Hi, you guys! Oh, I see you’re being chased too!”

“Natsu, if you led a bunch of security guards here, I’m going to kill you,” Sting said, gritting his teeth.

“There they are! Get them!” someone said.

Sting punched Natsu on top of his head. “We’ll continue the fight when we’re out of here.”

“There's a door leading outside that I passed while I was heading here. It’s a clear shot out of here!” Natsu said.

“But we have to pass the security guards,” Rogue said.

“Oh, that’s easy.”

Natsu grabbed Lucy. “Hold on tight,” he told her before running headfirst into the mob of security guards. Using his flames, he propelled them over the security guards, and they landed on the other side. He put Lucy down, and she looked at Sting, who had just done the same thing. Rogue was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Rogue?”

“He chose an easier way to travel.”

Rogue popped up out of the shadow beside them. “I think I scared a few of them when I fell into the ground.”

“The exit’s up ahead!” Natsu told them. He led them to a doorway that looked out onto a wing. “This is the easiest way outside since the way we originally came is blocked off.”

“How are we going to get down?” Rogue asked.

“Easy. We jump and have a little faith.”

“No way! I am not jumping!” Lucy said.

“Come on, you trust me, don’t you?” Natsu asked her.

“Not on this!”

“Come on Lucy. You gotta trust me on this,” Natsu told her. “Sting and Rogue trust me.”

“No, we don’t!” they said in unison.

Lucy grit her teeth. “Fine. I’ll trust you.” 

“Good. Climb on my back,” he told her. “And hold on tight.”

“You are out of your mind!” she yelled.

“Yeah, yeah.”

As Natsu walked out onto the wing of the celestial dragon, Sting and Rogue had second thoughts before they followed him. The strong winds nearly blew them off, and none of them could hear what the other was saying.

Suddenly, something came up from behind them and grabbed them. 

“Natsu, I  _ told _ you not to do that!” Happy said.

“I’m sorry, little buddy. But we had no other way out,” Natsu told him.

“Yo, Sting, it’s been awhile, pal!” Lector said.

“Lector! I’m glad you’re okay!” Sting said.

“Fro helped out too!” Frosch said happily.

“Frosch!” Rogue said. 

“Natsu, you’re... too... heavy!” Happy said.

“Shut it, cat!” Lucy said.

“Let us down on the ground here, Happy,” Natsu said. “I have a feeling this isn’t over yet.”


	21. celebration

chapter twenty-one

 

“Very well sensed, Natsu Dragneel,” Zeref said, coming out from behind a large tree some twenty feet away. “However, our fight is not to happen today.”

“I beg to damn differ!” Natsu said, charging in to attack him, but Zeref had disappeared.

“Where did he go?” Lucy asked warily. 

“I have no idea,” Sting said. He and Rogue were ready to attack in case Zeref reappeared. Natsu punched the tree nearest him.

“Hey, you guys!” Wendy called out, running toward them. Yukino and Gajeel were behind her, as well as Carla and Panther Lily.

“Hey, Wendy!” Lucy yelled back, waving. “Are you guys okay?”

“We’re fine!” Yukino replied.

“So what happened to that Zeref bastard?” Gajeel asked.

“He’s gone. Disappeared,” Natsu said. 

“You mean you let him get away?!” Gajeel yelled.

“We didn’t have a choice!” Sting said. 

“There’s nothing we can do now. We should get out of this forest and get back to the guild hall,” Lucy said. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Natsu said.

“Now we just have to figure out how to get out of here,” Lector said.

Suddenly they heard a noise coming through the woods toward them. Sting and Rogue barely had time to move before someone in a wagon came crashing into the clearing right where they were standing. Erza sat at the front of the carriage, and Gray leaned out of one of the windows. “Where’s Zeref?”

“He disappeared,” Lucy said. 

“Are you kidding me?” Gray said. “After we came all this way to help you guys fight that bastard, you’re telling me he just up and disappears?”

“It’s not our fault he left!” Lucy said.

“So, is this a victory or defeat?” Sting asked. 

“I’d say this is a victory,” Erza said. “Let’s go back to the guild hall and celebrate.”

As everyone climbed into the wagon, Lucy noticed that Juvia wasn’t with them. She looked over at Gray. 

“Where’s Juvia?” she asked him.

“I asked her to stay behind at the guild,” Gray said. “That didn’t go over well with her, of course, but it seemed to be for the best at the time.”

Lucy nodded and turned to Yukino. “When we get back to Fairy Tail, are you guys going to head back to Sabertooth?”

“Yeah, probably,” she said. “But we may wait a day so that Sting and Rogue can regain their energy after the ride.”

“Nah, we’re good,” Sting managed to say. Rogue had his head hanging out of the window but managed a weak thumbs up.

“Uh-oh! Their motion sickness has kicked in!” Lucy said. “Which means-”

Natsu leaned back and moaned weakly. “I thought I was done with vehicles for awhile.”

“Shut up, Salamander, we’re all sick here!” Gajeel retorted.

“Oh dear, I don’t know if I can cast my Troia spell on all of them!” Wendy said anxiously.

“Don’t worry about it, they’ll be fine until we get back to the guild,” Gray told her. 

“Where are your clothes?!” she asked him.

“Dammit!”

Erza stopped in Hargeon. “Everyone out. We can walk from here,” she said.

“Can’t we take a break first? My legs feel like jelly,” Natsu said weakly.

Erza glared at him. “Absolutely not. We have to be back at the guild soon.”

“Why?” Lucy asked. 

Erza didn’t answer her as she led them into Magnolia. Gray, Yukino, and Wendy followed her, while Lucy, Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue brought up the rear. Carla, Pantherlily, Happy, Frosch, and Lector each walked alongside their respective dragon slayer, and Happy was discussing fish recipes with Lector.

“I prefer my fish raw,” Happy said.

“But you don’t know what you’re missing out on with a nice cooked fish!” Lector said.

“Oh look, it’s Levy!” Lucy said, waving. 

“Hi you guys, welcome back!” Levy greeted them.

“Hi, Levy! It’s great to be back!” Lucy told her. 

“Has Master Makarov got everything ready?” Erza asked.

“Yeah. Oh, and Orga and Rufus are waiting for you guys at the guild,” Levy said to Sting, Rogue and Yukino. “They said that they’re ready to leave whenever you guys are.”

“We can’t just leave when you guys are about to have a party,” Sting said. 

“Let’s go!” Natsu yelled, running the rest of the way to the guild.

“Aye, sir!” Happy said.

Lucy followed him. When she pushed open the doors, a wave of noise poured out of the guild.

“Welcome back!” a few people shouted.

“Thanks!” she said, smiling.

Natsu walked over to his table and sat down. Lucy followed, and they were soon joined by Sting and Rogue.

“This has been a very eventful few days, hasn’t it?” Rogue asked.

“Yeah, but thankfully we’re home, and we’re all okay,” Natsu said. He eyed Lucy.  _ Just kiss her! _ he told himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flurry of movement and looked over to see Sting kissing Rogue.

“Finally!” he said.  _ If Sting can do it, you can! _

He went to lean in and kiss Lucy, but before he could lean in, Lucy’s lips were on his. Natsu felt his face burn. Lucy pulled away as quickly as she leaned in and looked away. He stood up and grabbed her by the waist and kissed her more deeply.

“It’s about time!” Gray yelled from the back of the guild.

“Shut up!” Natsu said.

“Now, let’s get this party started!” Master Makarov yelled.

Natsu draped his arm around Lucy and looked at her. He definitely wasn’t going to let her get away. Especially after all that they’ve been through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if it sucks, it's after 6 am (I plan on fixing this chapter later). but last chapter! :'( 
> 
> I started writing this in 2015, and started it again last summer. so it's taken me awhile to finish it.


End file.
